A woman discovered a bumper truffle, but is keeping tight-lipped about the secret location of her valuable find.
Licensed truffle hunter Melissa Waddingham from Horsham stumbled upon the 141g summer truffle in Sussex woodland on Saturday.
It was the biggest she has ever found in her seven years looking for the much-coveted fungi, and was discovered by her new puppy Ela, an 11-month-old working cocker spaniel.
But she is not revealing its source to ensure amateurs don't descend upon the same rare spot.
The 49-year-old said: “It was her first big find. I have never found one so big myself. It was a great achievement for her and for me.
“They are normally fairly small in size. It just so happened that this one was a bit deeper but someone had been digging there before. I never dig that deep.
“The dog was digging as the smell was really intense.
“The whole of the training of the dogs revolves around treats so Ela got some liver pate.
“Truffles that size are normally really deep down but the dog was really excited on that spot.”
Being half-French, Mrs Waddingham said she has an affinity to truffles and used her finds in her cuisine, rather than for financial gain.
And she said the fine art of truffle finding was not something that could be embarked without training.
She added: “I teach people how to truffle hunt. It is about a code of conduct, sustainability and careful excavating.
“I am fully licensed and there are always certain things you should do, for example, you must have the land owner's permission.
“It is a lot of hard work and requires skill. It cannot be taken lightly.
“I am half French and have always loved the countryside and I get to be outside. I also realise how important fungi are to the environment. Yet they are not part of the curriculum.”
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