Mushrooms for breakfast ? Always a welcome question , but when you leave the neat button-shaped variety from the supermarkets in their plastic packs and go looking for them in their natural woodland environment , things get altogether more magical …
They certainly picked a good day for it . A beautifully sunny autumn morning in the New Forest was the perfect seasonal setting for a mushroom foray . Organised by Country Fare , who supply some of Dorset ’ s best restaurants , pubs and hotels with fresh produce , we joined over 30 top chefs and restaurateurs on a fungi-finding mission to learn more about this natural bounty that Britain has the perfect climate for .
Mushroom picking isn ’ t an activity to be taken lightly though , as a welcome talk from the Forestry Commission makes clear . The increasing interest in foraging has put pressure on areas like the New Forest , and visitors are encouraged to look but not touch in order to protect some of the endangered species that grow in the area and stop the sort of commercial exploitation that has seen gangs of pickers strip forests bare .
It ’ s much better to go on an organised foraging trip with an expert , such as our guide Richard Sawden from New Forest Wild and Exotic Mushrooms . He grew up in the area , has foraged for fungi all his life , and as a former chef has plenty of expert advice for the assembled chefs .
He certainly knows where to look , although the surprising thing is quite how abundant fungi is when you start hunting . Richard tells us how different trees encourage different species , so a good forager will be looking up to the leaves as
well as on the ground . This advice pays off when a big beefsteak fungus is spotted growing high up in an oak tree . Richard frees it with a stick and saves it to cook later .
There are over 3000 species of fungi in the UK . Some are delicious , some can make you ill , and some will kill you . Prime examples of all three can be found on one foraging trip . It goes without saying that you should never eat anything you ’ ve picked unless you ’ re absolutely sure of its identity . Experts suggest cross referencing between several guides and not relying on internet identification . Of course , the poisonous toadstools get all the best names . Richard points out a Destroying Angel mushroom that just a bite of could be deadly , and after a deceiving period of recovery before your liver and kidney pack in , too . The Death Cap , Satan ’ s Bolete , and The Sickener aren ’ t , unsurprisingly , great for you either .
There ’ s no need to be terrified though , particularly if you ’ re careful and concentrate on the more common edible wild mushrooms which aren ’ t as easily confused with anything too dangerous . It doesn ’ t take long for the assembled chefs to fill their baskets with delicious ceps , girolles and oyster mushrooms , as well as saffron milk caps and hedgehog fungus .
Back at the meeting point , a gas stove is lit and chefs from The Larder House in Southbourne rustle up a wild mushroom risotto that also uses some of Richard ’ s prized truffles . It ’ s full of intense forest flavours that leave you in no doubt why wild mushrooms are so highly prized . And if you can ’ t find them , there are lots of chefs in Dorset who can and know how to make the most of this mysterious ingredient .
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Images : Kris Hall , Country Fare
Mushroom Magic
Five tips for cooking with mushrooms
1 . Try to avoid washing mushrooms , especially wild ones , as they can absorb water and end up slimy . Use a brush or paper towel instead . 2 . Mushrooms can be 80 % water , which will seep out when cooking . Use a high heat to evaporate it rather then letting them simmer in the liquid if pan frying . 3 . Ceps are known as the king of mushrooms for their intense flavour , but they need around ten minutes of cooking to bring it out . 4 . Chanterelles should be cooked lightly and whole to preserve their flavour . Too much and they become tough . 5 . Mushrooms are best stored in the fridge in moisture absorbing packaging and cooked when as fresh as possible . www . menu-dorsetco . . uk