Tlhis is Findon - Mary Hack and the Downland Truffles

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — these Findon Chronicles were created by Valerie Martin and contain scenes from her home village of Findon,
West Sussex, U.K. Everyday stories about real people.

The church at Patching near Findon.

MARY HACK AND THE FORGOTTEN DOWNLAND TREASURE

Published in Sussex Local dated August 2008

Not far from Findon is Patching off the Long Furlong (A280) road — where the view from Patching Hill is considered to be one of the finest in Sussex. Patching is tucked away with its pond among the trees of the Downs and the woods were at one time a favourite location for truffles where they abounded and during the 1800s a noted truffle hunter was William Leach. He turned up one day from the West Indies and for four years he had a strange quest as he worked his way up the coast from Land's End in Cornwall to the mouth of the Thames..... the Chilterns and Kent.

It is reputed that he had such a love of truffles that he brought several trained pigs with him from the West Indies. He searched for the best site in England for truffles and he settled on Patching near Findon, where he conducted a thriving little business hunting for the black gold for the rest of his days. William's fame as a truffler put Patching on the map for its legendary truffle pies, these were traditionally eaten at Christmas.

I took this atmospheric night time shot tonight in December 2007 of the nearby church at Patching.....

...... and here it is after stumbling out in the darkness into the ploughed field beyond.

Around 1880 (the exact date is now lost), there was another well-known truffle hunter in nearby Patching.

Her name was Mary Hack and I do not know if she ever made the walk over to Findon Village in here search for truffles or not. She was not a local person but had come over from Ireland and it is not known how she came to settle in the village.

Perhaps she had a connection with the Michelgrove racing stables? (Ireland/racing?)

This old Irish woman led everyone, including her neighbours, a fine dance. She would depart from her cottage with her basket and disappear round the corner, passed the church and over the Downs by many a devious route.

Throughout her lifetime, no one seems to have been capable of tracking her during the expeditions. Her pastime was a strange one to behold., She spent her days searching for the fleshy subterranean fungi under the beech trees on the local downland. When she had collected sufficient truffles, she carried them back to the community to sell.

She never divulged where she found her precious wares and upon her death the secret, alas, died with her. That is, unless anyone knows where these delicacies may be found in nearby Patching today?

I have found recipes for Truffle Pie but have been unable to obtain the recipe for the actual so-called Patching Truffle Pie, has anyone come across it?

The nearest I have been able to get is in the extract below in Samuelson's "A Sussex Ride of 1938"....

I have read of a Patching truffle pie but I have been unable to get a recipe.

In view of Patching's former glory for truffles, I suppose this may have been "A Patching Truffle Pie" made according to an 1810 recipe which is similar to the famous Strasbourg pies, beloved by gourmets. I obtained the recipe from the 1810 cook book written by Francis Collingworth and John Woolworth, cooks to the Crown and Anchor Inn, in the Strand, London.....

Chop and cook 1lb veal, ½lb fat ham, 4 oz lean ham, 6 fat goose livers and a shallot.

Add 4 oz marrow, chopped parsley, thyme and seasoning.

Pound the mixture until it is "well incorporated" and leave till cold.

Meanwhile make a raised pie in three parts, fill with the mix and top with sliced truffles.

Put pastry lid on and bake in an oven made very hot with faggots.

When about to serve lift the lid and pour in a glass of madeira"

My question is..... why has the occupation of truffle hunting lapsed? Are there no truffles in our area in the twenty-first century? Ideas invited.

Here is the village street at Patching in the early 1900s....... exactly as it was when trod by Mary Hack carrying her truffles.

MARTIN FLEXMAN from Storrington emailed his thoughts on endeavouring to find the secret lair for these delicacies collected by the old Irish woman, Mary Hack ......

"Given how far an elderly lady could walk, assuming a certain amount of time to effectively lose any followers, say perhaps an hour, the woods from Patching heading west into Angmering estate must be at least a 10 minute walk up past the church to the woodland edges.

Assume a certain amount of time looking say 4-5-6 hrs and having to return perhaps another hour allows us to draw a set of rings around Patching Church.

1. maximum possible distance walking with 4 hrs looking

2. maximum possible distance with 5 hrs looking

3. maximum possible distance with 6 hrs looking

Assume one hour for lunch! :-) or more as I can imagine spending a few hours just gazing in such a setting.

Assume a dawn to dusk schedule during best foraging times, perhaps through to January dictates day length and effectively eliminates crossing over from the church to the east side of long furlong.

We know it was light when she returned since people saw her returning.

Other clues, beech or oak roots, truffles prevent or reduce local ground coverage due to a chemical, also drying soil and of course the spoor smells I have noted many times that may fall within those circular areas. Maybe shallow soil on chalky substrate.

There are even some areas whose names persist into present day that indicate Beech copses etc.

I think it possible to fill the circles with areas most likely to contain all the right conditions and I would be fairly certain that the ground conditions have not changed overly since that previous OS map was drawn.

Eliminate any areas obviously not suitable such as perhaps any areas of overly dense woodland.

Then on top of that, train a dog to respond to the truffle smell and concentrate in those areas with highest probability.

Who knows, its a pleasant set of information to ponder.

Best regards....Martin"

Martin had certain done his homework and I am just waiting for him to go walkabout and find some actual Patching truffles.

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THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — was launched by Valerie Martin in January 1999 and will grow to be a historical record of life in Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

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