Truffles have been enjoyed for centuries, but have been particularly gaining in popularity for the last decade. They’re now more in demand than ever.

We believe this is very much set to continue, as they are the perfect decadent food treat for the times we live in now.

Fresh truffles are such a magical ingredient and so versatile in the kitchen – delicious served simply but also capable of creating the most stunning combinations with many other flavours, working beautifully with every different food cuisine.

So many people around the world care more and more about what they eat. Truffles are one of the few luxury ingredients which are entirely natural and genuinely healthy – low in calories, high in vitamins and minerals. They’re also of course suitable for plant based and vegan diets as well as being free of all major allergens.

Truffles bring massive environmental benefits to the planet. Hundreds of thousands of trees are planted every year specifically to encourage their growth. It’s a long-term process so these trees are left largely alone for decades, sequestering enormous quantities of carbon dioxide.

The truffles also help the trees grow stronger; their symbiotic relationship bringing increased nutrients and water from the soil to the trees, which in turn pass them energy. In fact new research is showing that symbiotic fungi are essential to life on earth, and could be an answer to many of the problems faced by mankind.

Truffles are grown and hunted largely without machinery or agri chemicals, and need very little labour – really just a man and his dog. Therefore, because of the huge number of trees planted to produce them, their climate impact is quite possibly actually positive: their environmental benefits may outweigh their carbon footprint.

Truffles are an ingredient that is eaten in tiny quantities, so even when flown around the world to reach their markets, their food miles are negligible. For example, the transport of the entire amount of Australian truffles that we import to the UK every year – about 1.5 tons, to supply hundreds of restaurants for an entire season – has a similar carbon footprint to just one average family holiday.

Another big topic right now is the cost of food. Obviously truffles are a luxury ingredient, but as they depend so little on the energy, external inputs and mass labour that have pushed up other food prices, their prices have barely increased at all.

In fact we are supplying Australian truffles at exactly the same rate this year as we have done for the last few years. How many other ingredients do you know which haven’t increased in price this year? Therefore truffles are now much better value than they were when compared to other foods.

So… healthy, vegan, not only climate friendly but actively environmentally beneficial, suitable for everyone and now relatively lower in cost… plus of course still absolutely delicious, decadent, unique, exciting and able to enhance almost every dish they touch to become something very special.

Little wonder that we are even more busy than we’ve ever been. The future is truffles!