truffle dogs

Today was day 1 of a weekend of celebrating the truffle at Mundaring, here in the hills east of Perth.

A fantastic festival with truffles as centrepiece, needless to say.
With heaps of other goodies including local wines, a Persian spice stall, packaged ingredients and spices for an tasty creation (Turban Chopsticks, great name!), tips on making the perfect coffee from a master roaster (did you know you can roast green beans in a popcorn maker??) and master chefs demonstrating dishes with truffle as queen bee.

So many possible blips but it was hard to go past these two, Nugget and Mattie, truffle dogs. Nugget, the black lab,a veteran in his second year and Mattie the kelpie, a super nose in her first year.

Truffles are a big deal here in Western Australia and these two lovelies are part of a team that work on the handful of trufferies that are thriving in the south of the state.