One of the most extraordinary experiences I have had in the Dordogne was when I was working as a freelance reporter for the Sud Ouest newspaper who asked me to go and report on Nini.

Nini was the Dordogne’s celebrity pig at the time who delighted her owner in finding him truffles as a service for his clients. So, one Sunday afternoon in the middle of a very cold January, I set off in search of this notorious pig, not really knowing what to expect.

I didn’t have to wait long at our rendez-vous before a cavalcade of small white vans appeared in the central square of a sleepy little village in the Périgord Vert. Hopping out of the lead van, Daniel, Nini’s master, quickly shook my hand before signalling for me to follow the others. He seemed to be in a hurry.

A working girl

In the middle of a plantation of oak trees on a private estate, the chatter amongst the group of friends and the estate’s owner was suddenly cut short by the sound of stamping trotters and grunting coming from inside Daniel’s van. Clearly Nini had had enough of the small talk. She was a working girl. She knew why she was here and had one thing on her mind. I realised then why Daniel had appeared to be in such a hurry.

As the van shook and rocked from side to side, the biggest pig I have ever seen came bolting out of its rear doors, in reverse, like a cannon ball being fired out of a barrel. In all her enormity and glory, Nini then spun round and dashed off like she was late for an appointment, squealing in a frenzied dash for the elusive black truffle.

If you would like to read more about Nini, she features in my book ‘My Dordogne Life’ available on Amazon.

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