By Alex Beleaev | Caviar & Gourmet, London | beleaev.com
You can buy fresh truffles in the UK, delivered to your door, without queuing at a market stall in Piedmont. The trick is choosing the right species for what you are cooking, and knowing how to handle it once it arrives, because a truffle used badly is an expensive mistake. This guide covers both.
Beleaev ships graded truffles across the UK, most lifted within hours of harvest and sent on quickly. Below: the truffles we carry, what each one is for, and the plain method that does them justice.
Key Takeaways
- Choose by dish: raw shaving (Alba white) or cooking (Perigord, autumn black)
- Prices run from around £65 for Alba white to £99.50 for Perigord
- Fresh truffle is shipped fast; black Perigord arrives frozen to hold its aroma
- Keep fresh truffle in the fridge in a sealed jar and use within days
- Start with the Beleaev truffle collection
Which Fresh Truffle Should You Buy?
There is no single "best" truffle. There is the right one for what you are cooking and the month you are cooking it in.
For raw shaving: Alba white truffle
The Alba white truffle, Tuber Magnatum Pico, is the showpiece. Wild, foraged in Piedmont between October and December, and never cooked. The aroma is garlic and shallot wrapped around honey and hazelnut, and it lifts off the moment it meets heat. So you shave it raw, at the table, over something plain and hot. From £65 for a 10g portion, enough to dress two generous plates.
For deep flavour and cooking: black Perigord
The Perigord truffles, Tuber Melanosporum, are the great black truffle of French cooking. Deep, nutty, almost chocolatey. They arrive whole and frozen at source, which holds the aroma where shaved fresh truffle simply would not survive transit. This is the cooking truffle: dice from frozen into sauces, risottos and butters. From £99.50 for 100g.
For everyday depth: autumn black truffle
The autumn black truffle, Tuber Uncinatum, is the one to start with. Warm, nutty, slightly sweet, with a cocoa note, lifted in Italy and Croatia from September to January. Real depth without the winter Perigord price, and forgiving enough to shave fresh or cook gently. From £79 for 100g.
| Truffle | Species | Season | Best for | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alba White | Tuber Magnatum Pico | Oct-Dec | Shaved raw | £65 / 10g |
| Autumn Black | Tuber Uncinatum | Sep-Jan | Shaving or cooking | £79 / 100g |
| Black Perigord | Tuber Melanosporum | Nov-Mar | Cooking, sauces | £99.50 / 100g |
Not sure where to start? The autumn black is the safest first taste of fresh truffle. The Alba is the one you save for an occasion.
How Fresh Truffle Is Delivered
This is where a lot of online truffle goes wrong, so it is worth being specific.
Fresh truffle is, above all, perishable. The fresh Alba and autumn black are graded and dispatched quickly after harvest so they reach you with the aroma intact, and they should be used within a few days of arrival. Black Perigord is the deliberate exception: it is frozen at source within hours of being lifted, because freezing holds its aroma far better than days in transit ever could. The cut you thaw should still carry the deep, nutty character chefs prize.
We deliver across the UK on a prompt courier service. You do not need a trade account, and you do not need to buy a kilo. A single graded piece, sent quickly, is exactly the point.
How to Store and Use Fresh Truffle
Two rules. Keep it cold and dry. Use it soon.
Storing. Wrap a fresh truffle loosely in kitchen paper, seal it in a jar, and keep it in the fridge. Change the paper daily, as moisture is the enemy. The old trick of storing it with eggs genuinely works: the porous shell drinks up the aroma, and you get truffled scrambled eggs as a free gift. Use fresh truffle within a few days.
Shaving the Alba white. Raw, always. Get the plate hot first, tajarin with butter, a fried egg, white risotto, then shave thin slices over the top at the table. Do not let it near direct heat. The aroma is the whole purchase, and heat burns it off.
Cooking the black Perigord. Dice it straight from frozen, no need to thaw, and add it early. Stir into risotto in the final minutes, fold through butter for a compound truffle butter, or infuse cream for a pasta sauce. It releases its flavour into fat and dairy beautifully.
The autumn black, either way. Shave it fresh over pasta and butter, or fold it through scrambled eggs at the last minute. It also takes gentle cooking, so it is happy infusing an oil or a cream sauce without fading.
A warm plate, something plain underneath, and a light hand. That is all a truffle needs. Anything too busy competes with the aroma you have paid for.
What to Serve with Fresh Truffle
Keep the plate quiet and let the truffle talk. Butter, eggs, fresh pasta, soft cheese and risotto are the classic partners because they carry the aroma without fighting it. Acidity and strong spice do the opposite, so leave them off.
For a full gourmet spread, a few thin slices of truffle shaved over Wagyu beef once it has rested turns dinner into something memorable. A glass of aged white or a structured red rounds it out. If you want to understand the species before you cook, our companion guide explains white Alba, black Perigord and summer truffles in full.
Why Buy Fresh Truffle from Beleaev
We are a London caviar and gourmet house, and we treat the truffles the way we treat the tins: sourced with provenance, handled on a strict cold chain, and described honestly. The fresh pieces are graded and dispatched fast; the Perigord is frozen at source to protect the aroma. Natural product, so shapes and sizes vary, and we send whole pieces wherever possible.
FAQ
Where can I buy fresh truffles in the UK?
Online, from specialists who name the species and the season. Beleaev delivers graded Alba white, autumn black and black Perigord truffles across the UK on a prompt courier. Look for a stated species and origin; a truffle sold out of season, or with no species named, is usually not what it claims.
How much do fresh truffles cost in the UK?
It depends on the species. Alba white truffle starts around £65 for a 10g portion, autumn black around £79 for 100g, and black Perigord around £99.50 for 100g. You are paying for a wild, seasonal product that is hunted, not farmed, and lifted by hand.
Are fresh truffles delivered fresh or frozen?
Both, by design. The fresh Alba white and autumn black are dispatched quickly after harvest. Black Perigord arrives frozen at source, because freezing holds its aroma far better than days in transit, which makes it the cooking truffle.
How long do fresh truffles last?
Fresh truffle is perishable and best used within a few days. Keep it in the fridge, wrapped loosely in kitchen paper inside a sealed jar, and change the paper daily to manage moisture. Frozen Perigord keeps far longer and is diced straight from frozen.
How do you use fresh truffle?
Shave Alba white raw over hot, simple dishes at the table, never cooked. Cook black Perigord into sauces, risottos and butters, diced from frozen. Autumn black does either: shave it fresh, or infuse it gently into oils and cream. A little, over warm food, is the rule.
Order Fresh Truffle Worth the Occasion
The right species, delivered fast, used with a light hand: that is all there is to serving truffle well at home.
Browse the full Beleaev truffle collection, from the everyday autumn black truffle to the deep black Perigord and the rare Alba white. Graded, handled cold, and delivered across the UK.
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