Canberra Region Truffle Festival offers a range of fun activities to do in Canberra

"Barry is ball obsessed," says his owner Tricia Kwast, who runs the farm with her husband Rainer.

"Whenever you're outside, he'll be bringing you balls to throw so he can chase them. We've got them hidden on top of outdoor fridges and storage containers and yet he always seems to find another one to bring you. He finds them everywhere."

Fortunately, his hunting skills seem to work with truffles as well. In 2019 he found one which weighed 874g. Given the retail price for a high-quality truffle works out to about $3 a gram, he bought himself a lot of tennis balls that day.

The Canberra Region Truffle Festival kicks off this week. Hunts have already started at some farms, with dinners planned at various venues around town. A highlight is the Festival Launch Dinner on July 1 at Hotel Realm where truffle growers, winemakers and local producers will gather to showcase the truffle and the best the region has to offer this winter.

Alas, the dogs will have to stay at home, but this festival is recognising the hard work the canine farmers do, with the inaugural Vote for Your Favourite Truffle Dog competition. Fifteen dogs are in the running. There are Jack Russells and kelpies, German short-haired pointers, a New Zealand huntaway and three very cute Lagotto Romagnolos from Macenmist Black Truffles and Wine which will definitely pull plenty of votes.

But what makes a good truffle dog? Big, small, short-haired, old, young?

"A good truffle dog is a dog that finds a lot of truffles," says Damian Robinson, from Turalla Truffles at Bungendore. Kind of stating the obvious.

Frisbee, a seven-year-old Jack Russell, is top dog at Turalla. His father was Robinson's first truffle dog when he first moved to the farm in 2001. He has five Jack Russells on the farm.

"I like the breed, they're good company, you have to remember you have them for the full year, not just the short truffle season. Frisbee is a great dog, he has quite the personality, he's very dedicated to me and he's very good with the younger dogs, an exceptionally even-tempered dog."

At Durran Durra Truffles at Durran Durra, one hour out on the Kings Highway, Dick and Virginia Groot Obbink have Bella, a kelpie-cross rescue dog, working the farm. She had no experience with truffles when she moved to the farm in 2014.

"But she would beg, borrow or steal to get a treat," says Dick, who is also president of this year's festival. "So we worked on that principle. We had some truffle in a jar and gave her a little sniff and then hid it and let her look for it.

"She was very quick on the uptake and now, each season, we don't even have to give her a rerun. We just take her into the truffle orchard and say 'find truffle', she knows the word, and off she goes.

"And when she finds one she gets her favourite reward, which is cheese."

Tricia Kwast says truffle hunting is definitely a team effort.

"We've always had dogs and they are great company but when you're working, looking for the truffles, it's about following the dog's lead and remaining calm and steady and then they don't get distracted as much."

There's a great divisive debate about truffles - among humans at least. Some people don't like the smell, or the taste, can't understand why you pay such high prices for them. But the dogs don't seem to be averse to it. Indeed Bella has been known to eat mouldy truffles.

The Truffle Festival is a great opportunity to learn about truffles, how the farms operate, how the dogs work, how to use truffles in the kitchen. There are plenty of events on over the next few weeks but firstly, don't forget to vote for the cutest dog. They're the ones sniffing out a winner.

Vote for the cutest dog of the Truffle Festival here.

These hunts are always popular with families as you'll meet the dogs, enjoy a warm beverage and sample some simple canapes. Learn how to clean and grade them and a little of the mystic that surrounds them. Locally sourced produce available for sale.

Set in the picturesque southern tablelands of NSW, close to Canberra and the heritage town of Braidwood, Durran Durra has the perfect climate for growing the black winter truffle Tuber melanosporum. Fresh truffles available to purchase on site.

Join the Jack Russells for a hunt and then try some of Damian's and Lindsays favourite truffle dishes. The menu includes plenty of truffle cooked in a variety of exciting ways. The day starts at 10am and winds up around 2:30pm.

This two-hour experience includes an hour in the field where you'll watch the dogs work and participate in the harvest. Then you'll head to the processing shed and learn how they're cleaned and graded before you'll enjoy some warm truffled soup and a few other simple dishes, as Wayne Haslam shares his love of truffles. A simple drive out the Federal Highway to Sutton.

Explore the truffiere which is part of a small working farm nestled between the Canberra-Sydney Railway line to the west and the Wooloowoolah Ridge to the east. Watch the dogs in action and learn about cleaning and grading. Tastings available, as well as fresh produce and recipe sheets.

The hunt experience here is different to most as they have very few rules, allowing people to participate in digging up the truffles, patting the dogs while they work and getting a personal photo with them at the end, before you can purchase what you dig out of the ground.

Meet truffle growers, winemakers and food producers and enjoy all-local produce, including truffle dishes paired with premium wines over three courses, at this very special event hosted by Doma Hotels. The menu will feature truffles in all courses.

Every Wednesday, throughout the festival season, Brunello celebrate truffles with a five-course degustation. From the appetiser to dessert, Brunello will highlight this incredible local produce with a European flair. For the full experience, let the sommeliers pair your dishes with the best wines from our cellar and don't miss the signature truffle cocktail.

Head to the Smokehouse Restaurant at Poachers Pantry for five courses showcasing Blue Frog Truffles from Sutton, paired beautifully with Poachers Vineyard wines and other local produce.

Friday nights are truffle night at Water's Edge during the festival. Menu to come.

Hear from Wayne Haslam of Blue Frog Truffles, supplier to the winery's restaurant. The talk will answer all your questions about truffles, you'll get to see the dogs in action. And then book a table at the restaurant and sample the special truffle menu.

Make the trip south to Macenmist Black Truffles and Wines at Bredbo for a four-hour paddock to plate experience. Join the dogs in a hunt and then enjoy a leisurely three-course luncheon in warm rural surrounds.

250g salted butter

10g fresh truffle

Bring butter to room temperature and cut into cubes. Run the butter through your food processor or in your stand mixer to incorporate air into it. Add finely shaved truffle and mix evenly. Roll into wax paper refrigerate to set. Leave for two or so days for the truffle to infuse well. Truffle butter can also be frozen for later use.

500g pontiac or desiree potatoes, peeled

80g unsalted butter

50ml thickened cream

1 tbsp truffle butter (add more if desired)

Steam or cook potatoes in boiling salted water for eight to 10 minutes until tender. Drain, then mash until smooth. Add truffle butter and cream, stirring to combine, then season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and keep warm.

Store your fresh truffle in a sealed glass container with six to 12 eggs (still in their shell) and refrigerate for 24-48 hours. The perfume and flavour of the truffle will be infused through the porous shell of the egg. Once you are ready to use the egg, the truffle used to infuse it can be shaved over the eggs themselves or used for another dish.

1/3 cup popping corn

3 tbsp coconut or olive oil

2 tbsp truffle butter*, melted

Melt coconut oil in the bottom of a large, heavy saucepan with a lid. Add popcorn, swirling to coat with oil. Cover pan and shake gently over medium high heat, allowing steam to escape from popping kernels. Remove pan from heat when popping slows and pour popped kernels into a large bowl. Toss with melted truffle butter.

* Adjust to taste.

Any soup recipe containing cream or butter can be enhanced by adding truffled butter or truffled cream. You can also shave fresh truffle over the top of warm soup as it is being served.