Truffle extravaganza ... a gourmet experience in the south-west.

The town Mayor and three truffle Masters, regaled in black and gold, officiated over the lunch in the Prayssas Salle des Fetes.

Click on these images to make them bigger and more detailed.

Chef Michel Dussau, who'd been hired to cater for today's lunch from the nearby city of Agen, joined the officials on stage.

He was holding a glass bell-jar that contained two large truffles, the raffle prize at the end of the lunch.

At 12.30, the "amuse bouches" were brought out. They consisted of a thick, rich truffle soup in a small glass and a piece of local foie gras topped with grated truffle. This sat on a piece of toast spread with a thin layer of jam.

The first of two entrées was served, a poached egg piled high with julienne of truffle, surrounded by truffle juice and three toast fingers.

Next, a tart of scallops with watercress and finely sliced truffle, with a swirl of truffle jus adding flare and contrast.

The main course was a 70-hour braised beef, wrapped around a piece of foie gras and served with potato and parsnip puree infused with flecks of truffle. There was a large slice of truffle on top, with an intriguing venous pattern.

Dessert was an assembly of three fine pastry leaves with whipped cream, a splash of coffee and a dollop of vanilla ice-cream, all infused with truffle. A fresh hazelnut was coated with toffee, which shot up in a hair-thin tail of spun sugar.

The accompanying wines were a sweetish Blanc Moelleux, served with the amuse bouches, then a Sauvignon Blanc and with the main course, a Cabernet Sauvignon, all from the nearby Buzet district.

We didn't win the raffle, but we got to hold the prize and pose with one of the Masters.