It’s truffle season: what’s the truth behind the luxury?

And don’t be fooled if you spot a few shavings on top, either, he continues. ‘Some places might flavour a dish with truffle oil and then put a bit of summer truffle or black truffle on top, which have almost no taste, to make it look like it’s got real truffle on it. It feels a bit deceptive to me, but on the other hand there’s nothing wrong with it because it has got truffle on it and it does taste of truffles, though it’s something to be aware of.’

Meera Cortesi, a truffle dealer supplying Fortnum & Mason, Panzer’s and Angela Hartnett, says that other than the obvious differences in price, the main way to tell if this earthy, garlicky, musky enigma is the real deal is to invest in training one’s taste buds. ‘The more you eat, the more you know,’ she says, ‘because there are very talented chefs out there who will still put a little drop of truffle oil in.’ Another way to ensure you’re getting the genuine article is to do your homework on the chef, she continues. ‘There are some chefs who on principle won’t touch any truffle products — The River Café, Angela Hartnett, Alain Ducasse — who never use anything apart from a truffle.’

Kenedy also believes that the best way to tell if something marketed as truffle is actual truffle or not is to know your seasons. ‘The white truffle season is very short, it comes from the end of October, normally through to December and there may be a few in January. White truffles are not so easily faked because they look quite distinctive. Black truffles of different guises are available for a lot of the year. There’s a spring truffle and a summer one, an autumn one that tastes of something, then there’s a winter one that’s very, very intense and expensive, almost as expensive as the white truffle. If you have a truffle dish outside of the winter time and it’s got a strong perfume, someone has probably added something synthetic.’ Although this isn’t always the case, he adds, so checking where they came from is key. ‘Australian winter truffles are great and they are available in the summer here.’

Financing an education in truffles doesn’t always have to cost the earth either, says Cortesi. ‘I know quite a few chefs and restaurateurs like Stevie Parle [of restaurants Joy and Pastaio] who always try to sell a truffle at cost because they feel they need to be able to have access to it and it shouldn’t just be the people who have a lot of money.’ And Kenedy, who also believes in the same principle, allows customers to bring their own truffles — or those he sells at his gelato shop Gelupo across the road — into Bocca di Lupo so customers can sprinkle the more cost-efficient version on whatever they like. ‘People then can have a truly authentic experience just as you would in Piedmont, where you’d buy a truffle, sit it on the table and shave it on whatever dish you want to eat it on. You can then use quite a lot at a lower price.’

On that note, we’re off truffle hunting.