Wandering through the woods behind a brown labrador and jumping aside when she starts to scrabble frantically at the earth with little result could be a tedious way to spend an autumn break. Patience will be rewarded, however, when Angy finally unearths a knobbly dark brown tuber that her master, Benoît, scrapes with his knife and declares to be a fine truffle.

The holiday gets even better when several of these delicacies are prepared for a gastronomic dinner, featuring four starters, including a truffle sandwich and mousse, a parmentier main course (a potato cake with chicken and truffle) and truffle-studded cream cheese and salad - all washed down with vintage champagne. In some parts of Europe this experience could cost a small fortune because a kilo of these truffles currently costs €300 (£235) and will rise to more than €400 by Christmas.

But at the Auberge des Moissons at Matougues, near Châlons-en-Champagne, the total cost for a couple is €280. And that includes an initiation into truffles, the hunt, the meal and B&B. The reasonable price might be explained by Angy's well-trained nose that can unearth a kilo in an hour.

The setting may be less romantic than imagined because the woods have been specially planted with beech, pine, oak and hazelnut trees with truffle spores in the root structure and the inn sits beside a main road. But the lobby and restaurant, in a converted barn, are comfortable and charming, the en-suite, but fairly simple, bedrooms are arranged around a garden courtyard and Benoît and his sister are excellent hosts.

This is a break to take within the next month before the truffle season ends and can be combined with a visit to Châlons. The city, often neglected by British tourists, boasts streets lined with half-timbered houses from the 17th and 18th centuries. The city is dissected by the Mau and Nau rivers and has pretty parks that add to its sense of spaciousness.

The cathedral of Saint-Étienne has suffered four fires over the centuries and, as a result, is an intriguing mixture of styles, from Romanesque to Gothic, while the Notre-Dameen-Vaux church has a 12th-century cloister with 60 column statues.

Trips to the city can be booked through the tourist office from €80 a night with dinner, B&B, and , with bicycle or Segway trips, from €100 a night.

Situated in the heart of the Champagne region, this is the place to take advantage of tutored champagne tastings, held in medieval cellars beneath the city, conducted by the enthusiastic manager of a local wine store and organised by the tourist office from €20 a head.

Châlons-en-Champagne is two and a half hours by the A26 autoroute from Calais, which is served by 20 crossings a day from Dover by P&O Ferries. Fares start from £37 each way for a car and up to nine people; priority boarding, ensuring a speedy departure from the boat, costs £12 a vehicle and the club lounge, offering a complimentary glass of champagne, tea, coffee and newspapers, is £12 a head.

www.des-moissons.com - 00333 26709917

www.chalons-tourisme.com - 00333 26651789

www.tourisme-champagne-ardenne.com

poferries.com - 0871 6646464

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