It’s almost 11am on a chilly Saturday morning, and a Cathar horde is about to be unleashed upon the sleepy village of Villeneuve Minervois.
Michael and I are waiting patiently and peacefully amongst the throng, although our quiet restraint is under threat from the growing excitement levels all around us. Everything is set: the officials are in place, the tables are up, and the rope barrier strains under the mass of people-pressure: in just a few moments the market will open and the crowd will be unleashed upon the magnificent and exotic “black diamond”, as the local Languedoc truffle is known in these parts.