ON THE HUNT

One of a handful of truffle farmers in the UK, Mike Collison grows the fungi in his Shropshire orchard, seeking them out with the help of his dog, Oscar

- Jez Fredenburgh

"You get lost in your own world in the truffle orchard," says Mike Collison. "It's peaceful, cool under the trees, magical and you never know what you're going to find."

Working their way along neat rows of oak, hazel, pine, and beech trees, Mike and his specially bred, truffle-hunting dog, Oscar, an Italian Lagotto Romagnolo, are searching for burgundy truffles - one of the world's most expensive, most sought-after fungi. Oscar, nose to the ground, paws when he's sniffed one out, indicating where Mike should dig.

"They're knobbly-looking things," says Mike. "They can be the size of a pea or an orange, close to the surface or three to four inches down. At this time of year [June], we'll harvest two to three kilos in 40 minutes after that, Oscar's had enough and so have I." The truffles are then washed, graded, trimmed of any overripe parts, and sent to chefs around Shropshire.