Austin Gould, Head Chef at the George Hotel in Yarmouth will be hosting an evening dedicated to truffles and wild mushrooms at the George Hotel on Friday 7th February.
Gould will instruct guests on the tricks of the trade for cleaning, storing and preparing this prized funghi and with truffles changing hands for hundreds and sometimes thousands of pounds (£’s) per kilo – knowing how to do this correctly is really important.
Truffles are growing in popularity particularly some of England’s native varieties. Truffles are usually hunted rather than cultivated and can be found in woodlands across the countryside if you know where to look; finds have even been recorded on the Isle of Wight! They are notoriously difficult to find and because of this they are expensive and considered a delicacy. In November last year a package of eleven highly prized Italian white truffles sold for 247,000 euros – that is approximately three times the value of gold.
Austin explained:
“Truffles have a delicate but distinctive flavour – the secret is not to overcome the natural flavour but to prepare it simply and enhance it. I will be preparing a starter that showcases the truffle to best effect and then we will prepare a main course which uses a selection of wild mushrooms as a delicious accompaniment!”
“Truffles are generally found in beech, oak, birch or hazel woods on chalk or limestone and usually grow best on south facing locations. I have sourced these particular truffles from Dorset where they are harvested from local woodland.”
“At the George we regularly use wild mushrooms from the New Forest in our dishes. Wild mushrooms are also delicious – the colours, shapes and textures create a feast for the eyes, while the flavours are generally more distinctive and interesting than the cultivated varieties. There are a number of suppliers in the UK who harvest native wild mushrooms for culinary use and while you can pick your own, you really do need to know your mushrooms as some are highly poisonous – the golden rule is if you are not 100% sure what it is DON’T eat it!”
The George Hotel’s Truffle & Wild Mushroom evening takes place on Friday 7th February.
You can book your place for the cookery demonstration followed by a two course supper by calling The George on 01983 760331 or visit the website www.thegeorge.co.uk
