ENGLISH TRUFFLES
Reports that UK truffles are now growing in the Chilterns and North and South Downs, as well as Hampshire, Wiltshire and westwards into Dorset, between Hull and Lincoln according to Dorset-based Truffle UK.
Britain’s two native varieties (are black, roundish in shape, and covered in polyagonal warts) tend to grow best in south-facing beech, oak, birch and hazel woods, on chalk or limestone but according to the British Mycological Society are found as north as Darlington.
Our native specifies in especially damp weather often breaks through the surface but a dog will help find those beneath the surface.
Prices can reach £150 per kilo but I have never handled any so cannot confirm that.
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Melissa Waddingham, a truffle hunter on the South Downs to teach respectful groups what she knows but in a secret location because too many groups have been operating on a commercial scale in the New Forest and Epping Forest. She has a blog and an interesting gallery of photos to look at.
Her truffle hound Zebedee has become as famous as her but it’s his nose folks are paying to follow…we are but the ‘tail who wags the dog’ in this case.
https://truffleandmushroomhunter.com/
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Over at The English Truffle Company they have run truffle-hunting days since 2011 in Dorset from October to the end of January then later, due to increased demand added another venue in Wiltshire in 2013.
Fascinatingly they also have a ‘rent a truffle hound’ service with out without a handler for those landowners with woodland interested to see if they are growing fungi with out knowing it.
They are also in need of more dogs and handlers to actually go and search on their behalf but as this is an extremely personal business a confidential relationship would be all-important. Certainly they are vetting the callers carefully as so much is at stake for a landowner if he finds truffles but the company is constantly searching for new sites.
Very exciting stuff.
http://www.englishtruffles.co.uk/hunting/hunting-days/
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