One of the delights of living in this area is that we have our local Slow Food convivium  (www.slowfood.com),and very convivial we are too! Our latest outing was to a local truffle plantation.I had visions of spending the afternoon stumbling around damp woods vainly seeking the elusive truffle on the off chance that we might come across one or two with the help of the owner’s truffle hunting dog,Vicki.

To begin with there was no wood but an exposed hillside just outside Bédarieux where the truffle farmer had planted 330 oak saplings,none much more than two feet tall.Vicki was unleashed and within about half an hour had found 26 truffles of various sizes.I began to smell a rat (or perhaps I should say a truffle). If it was that easy surely they would not be so rare and expensive. The farmer owned up that he had planted them to demonstrate Vicki’s ability to find them which was truly impressive.

Vicki at workSuccess!

I must admit that I find the truffle somewhat overrated,or maybe my tastebuds find the taste a little too subtle.In my experience truffles should be eaten with something very simple like pasta,the truffle being shaved over the dish at the last minute.This is really delicious.

In the evening we all had dinner at the truly remarkable Auberge des Gorges de Madale which by the greatest of good fortunes happens to be only five minutes from where I live.