Sniffing out the future

"Sniffing out the future." Collaboration between humans and the non-human aspects of Nature is as old as the hills. The first phase of "Sniffing out the future" sees me training a young truffle hound to find the most secretive member of the fungi kingdom. Inspired by my visit to LA TRUFA visitor Centre at Sierra Subbéticas Geopark in Spain last winter, I have been dreaming of finding Truffles closer to home. English Riviera Geopark in Devon is not famed for its wild truffles and local restaurants source their truffles elsewhere, so this may be a simple pipe-dream. But maybe the wild truffle population is alive thriving beneath our very feet. Truffles are notoriously hard to find, so I have enlisted the help of an expert wild truffle hunter and dog trainer Melissa Waddingham. I am working hard to train my little dog Ghyllie in a project that aims to both fund its own future and explore collaborative relationships.