Could you train your labrador to hunt truffles?

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Nina Roe is a Suffolk-based chef, beekeeper and forager who has always liked truffles. Three years ago, she got a black Labrador puppy named Oscar in the hope of training him as a truffle dog. Early indications were good. “The ideal working dog keeps its head up to observe the field,” says Roe. “But as soon as I got Oscar, he was in the garden sniffing the ground. I thought, ‘We’re onto a winner.’”

Roe started training him at 14 weeks old, following tips on YouTube, which included hiding truffle scents around the house for him to find. “Anything that ended with a treat, he was happy to do,” says Roe. The first informal truffle hunt took place a year later in a nearby woodland. “Oscar was digging even before I told him to and finding truffles every 10 to 20 seconds,” Roe reports. “We came away with more than 500g.” Fast-forward two years, and Oscar won a silver cup at the 2023 UK Truffle Dog Championships, competing against hounds from Italy and France. His record haul is 4kg of truffles found over the course of three days. “He can also be like: ‘No, I don’t want to do it today,’ like a typical dog.” 

Roe focuses on British autumn black truffles (Tuber uncinatum), which are in season from September to January. She offers truffle-hunting services for plantation owners and those who suspect they have truffles on their land. She also produces truffle-infused salt, butter (pictured above, £12, available at tubertruffles.co.uk) and honey. These, she insists, are far superior to most products that use artificial flavourings: “It’s like comparing artificial juice drinks to a freshly pressed fruit.”

Fresh truffles (including European white and black varieties) are available from Wiltshire Truffles. Meera Cortesi, who supplies top London restaurants including The River Cafe, sells her Italian-sourced truffles (pictured below) via Notting Hill Fish + Meat and Supermarket of Dreams. 

Stored correctly (wrapped in a paper towel in an airtight container in the fridge) and eaten within seven to 10 days, fresh truffles are best enjoyed shaved onto eggs, pasta, meat or vegetables. If you keep them with fresh eggs for two or three days, the scent will permeate the shell and you get truffle-flavoured yolks. Roe is experimenting with truffle cognac and ice-cream made with truffle-infused milk. For the ultimate decadence she recommends grating some lavishly on baked camembert and eating with bread.

As for Oscar: “He does like truffles but these days he’d rather have a dried sprat. I’ve definitely considered getting another truffle dog,” Roe adds. “A girlfriend for him would be lovely.”  

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