Truffle ahead as £30,000 crop rots
Farmer gives delicacy away for free as lockdown kills trade
ATRUFFLE farmer unable to sell his £30,000 luxury crop to restaurants due to the coronavirus pandemic has been forced to give them away for free.
Mike Collison, 59, has a bumper 100 kilo harvest sitting in his orchard in Stapleton, Shropshire, which he is struggling to sell and could now go to waste.
He has even resorted to giving them away free of charge to locals living in the village due to the lack of demand from fancy restaurants.
Mr Collison said he has been left with “30,000 quid rotting in the ground” for the last four weeks as top restaurants slowly get back on their feet after being closed for months.
Instead, over 50 grateful villagers have been enjoying the luxury food item, which Mr Collison harvests at his orchard with the help of his dog Oscar.
The father-of-five, who has spent the last ten years nurturing his 1,600 trees, said: “Truffles normally sell wholesale to fine dining restaurants.
“They put it as a garnish on top of food or make a butter out of it.
“We sell to some local restaurants in Ludlow, the Midlands and some in London – we sell to anyone that will take them really. The problem is that all the restaurants have been closed and are only starting to reopen, so we haven’t been selling any. “The amount I have got in the ground could wholesale for £30,000 which works out at £300 a kilo – so I have about 30,000 quid currently rotting in the ground.
“It would retail for £600 a kilo and the smallest amount we sell is 50 grams for £30 – which would make a very special dinner indeed.”
Mr Collison’s partner Michele Hadland, 51, who usually makes truffle butter from their leftovers, suggested he give some away to friends and neighbours.
Mr Collison added: “We thought we should give some pieces to people who can’t usually afford it.
“It’s quite a big ego trip giving them to someone who has never tried them before and might never have done.
“It’s a really nice feeling. I’m a governor of a local church school and feel you have got to give something back to the community.
“It is a posh man’s food in this country, but in France everybody eats them.
“It is a bit like salt and pepper there, but here it’s seen as a luxury. They have loved it and are very grateful. They’ve been cooking them and having them as shavings on steak or putting them on eggs.
“You can have it as a garnish on top of anything and truffle butter is another classic one.
“Around 50 people who have never had truffles, now have tried them – and I haven’t had a complaint yet.”
Mr Collison is still optimistic the entire batch won’t go entirely to waste and is hopeful of selling more truffles now that restaurants are slowly reopening.
He said: “Hopefully we’ll still be able to sell to restaurants this year if they open and can afford to buy some.” Mr Collison explained how his dog Oscar, a Lagotto Romagnolo, helps him harvest the trees by sniffing out those with truffle spores in the roots.
Grateful neighbour Suzy Brander said her family had been shaving their truffles on steak and scrambled eggs. She added: “They’re really nice and have a really lovely flavour.
“They are quite earthy, definitely a little bit different.”