Truffle Festival and Truffle Hound Championship 2022

Sunday 27th November

Imagine immersing yourself in everything truffles for an entire day

Breathing in their magical aroma and all the other gastronomic delights that we'll have on offer.

At this new mini-festival, you can expect, truffles, mushrooms, dogs, talks, music, delicious food and drink and more...

The whole affair will be out of the ordinary and a day to remember.

Anybody that likes truffles, fungi and food.

It's an opportunity for us to all get together. learn and share our passion.

Good food, top chefs, luxurious recipes with a creative flare, focusing on truffle, fungi and wild food.

You will also have the opportunity to meet local business with similar interests and ethos. 

The UK Truffle Dog Championship

The highlight of the event (at least for us) is the Truffle Dog Championship.

This is only the second time a truffle dog competition will have taken place in the UK. It will be in memory of Marion Dean, a leader in the UK truffle community, who did the first competition over ten years ago, and sadly, is no longer with us.

I'm excited to say that this is going to be a professionally officiated, scent-based dog competition, where dogs will be challenged to find truffle scents (using truffle oil and/or real truffles) in an indoor equestrian arena. This will be fun, challenging, and very rewarding for you and your dog.

• 3 experience groups (Beginner, Silver and Gold)

• Beginner Group - is not part of the main competition but it is available for people and their dogs who are brand new, have limited or no experience and just want to have a go for fun. This will not be judged. We will have a steward helping you out on the day to set things up and guide you. Dogs will be challenged to find approximately x8 simple truffle-oil-scented baits above ground in a period of 8 minutes (tbc).

• SILVER Competition Group - will be professionally officiated and is part of the main championship. This is for dogs of an intermediate level of experience. Broadly speaking, this will include a 10-minute search time, x10 baits, 7 truffle oil scented baits, and 3 real truffle baits, a mixture of above ground and below ground. Dogs are to indicate to the handler so that the handler can mark the location with a flag. Continuous digging for bait rather than a scratch or two to indicate may result in a warning.

• GOLD Competition Group - will be professionally officiated and is the highest level of competition for more experienced dogs seeking to compete with the best and test themselves at a more rigorous level of competition. Involves 10-minute dog search, x10 baits all below ground/hidden, 5 real truffle scents, 5 with truffle oil. Again, excessive digging on a truffle bait may result in a warning. Dog and handler should be focused on getting the indication, vs. digging a big hole.

• More comprehensive details will be sent to all competitors ahead of time after the final process is developed. The above is a guideline for now of what to expect and may change slightly.

Anyone can enter.

Dogs will be ranked on experience and put into either, intermediate (SILVER Competition) or advanced (GOLD Competition).

Due to time restrictions on the day, we only have 30 competitor slots available in total, so be sure to book your competitor ticket ASAP, if you want to take part.

Competitor tickets/availability will be first come first serve.e ...

What's on during the day?

On the day, you'll be able to:

• Smell and walk home with your very own REAL truffles!

• Watch and/or take part in our truffle dog competition

• Enjoy the live music on show

• Relax, Eat and drink.

• There'll be lots of delicious food, wine and more...

• Listen to various talks about truffles, foraging, and other outdoorsy topics from some amazing and inspiring industry-leading experts we have lined up.

We'll also have a number of local outdoorsy-related businesses showcasing their products and services on the day, which you'll be able to check out.

Important Information About The Event

• DATE - Sunday 27th November

• LOCATION - Plumpton College, Lewes (Sussex)

• TIME - 10am to 5pm

• PARKING - Parking is strictly limited on site and you will be charged a parking fee (unless you book a VIP ticket). We strongly encourage you to make alternative plans or travel in groups. Any parking on site will be available on a first come first serve basis.

• DOGS - Dogs are welcome. They must be kept on leads at all times and you must pick up any mess they make. Please note, that horses will be present on site.