Sutton is set to become the truffle hunting capital of the UK after the chance discovery of a rare white truffle worth up to £15,000.

The incredible find of the highly prized edible mycorrhizal fungi was made in Nonsuch park by a woman walking her dog.

Mushroom-related internet forums buzzed with news of the find last night as truffle hunters planned to descend on the park with pigs and dogs to cash in on the fungus gold rush.

French architect Avril Le Peche, 52, from Wallington, was walking her three-year-old King Charles spaniel, Rigolade, in the park on Friday.

She said: “Rigolade made for the base of a tree as we passed a wooded area and just started going crazy. He started to dig and I ran over to see what the fuss was.

“As he dug deeper I noticed a large white object. I knew it was a truffle almost immediately as I grew up in a large truffle-producing area of France, near Normandy.

“I dug it out and took it to a restaurant to make sure it was genuine. It is unbelievable to think truffles grow in Sutton.”

The truffle is expected to provoke a bidding war when it goes up for auction later today.

The fruiting funghi are sought-after by the top chefs and restaurants around the world and are thought to be the ultimate gastronomic experience, costing up to £1,250 per kilo.

Unfortunately, Sutton restaurateurs are expected to be outbid for the truffle with high bids already coming in from Parisian and Tokyo eateries.

Park authorities yesterday warned truffle hunters coming to Nonsuch not to damage any trees in their search for the so-called “white diamonds”.

A park spokesman said: “People should respect the woods, as truffles live in harmony with trees. To damage the trees would most likely halt the truffle growth.”

But truffle hunters should be quick – the official truffle hunting season ends at noon today (April 1) and does not begin again for six months.

TRUFFLE FACTS • The most expensive white truffle sold for £165k in 2007.

• The world’s most expensive slice of cheese on toast used truffles and cost £345.

• Truffle eating was documented as far back as the Roman Empire.

• Pigs can be used to find truffles, but the favoured option today is a dog.

• France is the largest producer of truffles, harvesting up to 30 tonnes a year.

• Truffles prefer alkaline soils and moist conditions.