From velvety risotto adorned with delicate white truffle shavings, a perfectly seared steak elevated by the earthy notes of black truffle, or a deeply decadent chocolate dessert infused with the elusive aroma of truffle oil, like all the best things they are only in season for a short time, so we suggest you make the very most of them.
But the adventure doesn't end at the restaurant door. For those inspired to replicate the truffle magic in their own kitchens, we'll guide you through where to buy the best truffles, along with truffle-infused products, and the tools you’ll need to really up your truffle game.
Where To Buy Truffles
As a rare culinary treat, truffles are not the kind of thing one casually flings into the basket on a trip to the supermarket. Happily, a good handful of specialists sell these beauties – and these are the three we rate most highly of all.
Tartufaia
From sliced summer truffle to truffle butter, white truffle oil and truffle honey, what Tartufaia in Borough Market doesn’t know about their specialist subject is hardly worth bothering with. Founded in 2006 and run by chefs, as they say, ‘The way we are trading is authentic to the Italian tradition, with boxes of truffles laying around, leaving the aromas travelling to our customers.’ They clearly know a thing or two: their products are in demand the world over, including at many of the best restaurants in London. Discover more.
Truffle Hunter
This Gloucestershire-based truffle aficionado avidly seeks out the best of both the white and the black stuff all around the UK, travelling the country for the very best. As they say, ‘Delicate, heady, earthy, rich: each variety brings a spectrum of intense and subtle flavours.’ Quite. Shop by ‘fresh truffle,’ ‘preserved truffle’, ‘truffle dairy’, ‘truffle condiments’, ‘truffle snacks and pasta’, ‘truffle gifts’ and ‘truffle oils and vinegars’, and your earthy treat quota will undoubtedly be met – and then some. We love it all, but to our minds, you simply cannot beat the fresh stuff. Discover more.
The Truffle Guys
Take two friends (Rikki and Jordan) and a lot of food and wine. Next, throw in lashings of experience supplying hotels, bars and restaurants, as well as in event management and marketing, and there you have it: a perfect recipe for starting a business. What business that might be, however, was a question guided by the duo’s shared passion, which just so happened to be for truffles. As they recall, ‘Both devout lovers of truffles, we couldn’t believe how hard it was to get good quality truffle products. So, we asked around, could anyone recommend a good truffle brand? Where can we get some of the good stuff? Most would say something like, ‘I’m not sure, I bought my truffle oil from a farm shop,’ or, ‘a friend gave it to me.’ Duly convinced, they set up The Truffle Guys, whose founding mission was to democratise this rarefied ingredient and make it available to a broader spectrum of shoppers, as well as experimenting with new flavour combinations. Their favourite is the Gourmet Black Truffle Honey, and so it is ours too – although we also do like the gift boxes very much too. Discover more.
Truffle Recipes To Try At Home
Once you’ve procured these rare beauties, what should you cook? Check out the delicious truffle recipes we have up our sleeves.
Gnocchi with Gorgonzola & Truffle Sauce
Tartufaia
If you want a fail-safe winner of a truffle dish, it makes sense to ask the chefs who run a truffle shop. From Tartufaia comes this simple yet exquisite gnocchi dish, which is ready in just a few minutes. The gorgonzola and the truffle work beautifully together, so long as you like strong flavours (but then you most likely wouldn’t still be here unless you did, right?). Find the recipe here.
Truffle Mac And Cheese
Gordon Ramsay
It’s autumn, which means truffles. But it also means comfort food, and we could not love this fancy take on the hearty and comforting macaroni cheese any more than we do. The truffle lends subtlety, complexity and luxury to a medley of cheese, and what more could anyone want? A crowd pleaser if ever there was one. Find the recipe here.
Burrata With Hollandaise And Crispy Chickpeas
Great British Chefs
Is it possible to make burrata more dreamily decadent? The simple answer is yes, eminently so. That is, if you add hollandaise, deep-fried chickpeas and white truffles. Silky, delicious, divine. Find the recipe here.
Rosemary And Sea Salt Bread With Truffle Rarebit And Parma Ham
Great British Chefs
A rarebit is a thing of beauty as the weather cools. Dominic Chapman for Great British Chefs has this luxe take on the classic, which includes making your own rosemary and sea salt bread. Simple, easy and yet totally impressive, this is a stellar dish to have up your sleeve for a starter or just on its own with a glass of red wine. Find the recipe here.
Pork Chop With Mustard Cream Sauce
The Truffle Guys
An absolute autumn classic, there is no finer nor more comforting dish to come home from a long wintry walk to. Find the recipe here.
Truffle Menus To Explore
If you prefer to leave the graft to the professionals, then head to one of these
Sparrow Italia
Sparrow Italia is always one of our favourites, its combination of modern Italian food with atmospheric high drama a winner with us and a host of celebrities alike. From October to December, it wil be serving up the legendary Alba white truffles in a variety of delicious ways, including in dishes such as slow-cooked hen egg with wild mushrooms, truffle cream, perigord truffle and pane al tartufo with grilled focaccia, truffle ricotta, truffle honey, fresh truffle. Book it.
Harry’s Bar
Stepping inside this Venetian export in Mayfair is the next best thing to arriving (preferably on the Orient Express) on that sensational island itself. It goes without saying that its truffle game is amongst the best in the business – do try the wild mushroom pizza with gorgonzola and parmesan amongst other heady delights. Book it.
Bocco Di Lupo
For those days when you find yourself hungry like the wolf, then heading to Bocco Di Lupo in Soho is the only thing that will do. The perfect trattoria in the heart of London, its menu changes daily and, in the manner of all of the best Italian restaurants, everything served is seasonal. In autumn, that means truffles. For real enthusiasts, do pop next door to its sister establishment, Gelupo, where you can buy your own truffle, ready to shave over a dish of your choice. Genius. Book it.
Shavers & Slicers
Part of the joy in devouring truffles lies in the rituals and the proper accessories. These are the tools we think are both useful and beautiful.
By Nancy Alsop
October 2023
