November marks the last hurrah for many of our edible mushrooms. Resident fun guy William Gadsby Peet goes foraging in the forest
The beautiful (but inedible) Magpie mushroom
For me, there’s a real allure to the idea of foraging, Ray Mears-like, among the woodlands of Britain. It conjures up visions of a simpler life; of escape to the wilderness to live off the fat of the land away from Facebook, Twitter and funny cat memes. The reality, I’m sure, would be cold, wet nights spent sheltering beneath a log with only fox poo and slugs for company. But still, a man can dream.
With my hunter-gatherer aspirations confessed, it will not surprise you to learn that I jumped at the chance to join a mushroom foraging expedition around the Berkshire countryside with expert Matthew Dorich. Put together by The Crown at Bray, the trip is a notable feature in the pub’s annual calendar of events.
And, as you can see from the photo below, our excursion proved incredibly fruitful. As luck would have it, we had gone foraging in the ideal conditions: a period of sunshine after heavy rain with the moon in full blush – the gravity of a full moon, it transpires, is generally believed to help draw the coveted fungi out of the ground.
During the course of our three-hour forest ramble, we came across a veritable hamper load of the delicious Horn of Plenty, a few of the wonderfully purple Amethyst Deceiver, a smattering of Winter Chanterelles and even a couple of chunky cep mushrooms.
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Our haul from three hours of spirited foraging
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Expert Matthew Dorich
Matthew, whose knowledge of the genera and species of mushroom was truly staggering, interspersed lessons on the fungi we’d found with a wealth of genuinely interesting, mushroom-based trivia. In the Victorian era, for example, a gentleman on a woodland constitutional would precede his female companion with a walking stick, knocking off any Stinkhorn in their path. Why? On account of the mushroom’s uncanny resemblance to an erect penis.
Stinkhorn aside, this really was an eye-opening trip. As a society we spend a fortune on organic foodstuffs, yet one can head out to the woods with a basket and some know-how and come back with a feast fit for a king. Indeed, much of Matthew’s business in the autumn months comes from selling local pubs and restaurants the mushrooms he’s picked while out foraging.
Of course, it isn’t quite that simple. David, manager of The Crown, has been dabbling for a couple of years now, but has been brave enough actually to cook the foraged mushrooms on a beggarly three occasions.
Still, as with fishing, it’s as much about the chase as the catch. In any case, practice makes perfect. Matthew began foraging as a hobby, but after 15 years has garnered such a reputation that his proficiency is much in demand. He was even called in to help with a documentary featuring Dame Judi Dench and her partner, conservationist David Mills, on the subject of Britain’s red squirrels – one of the few animals that can stomach the poisonous Fly Agaric mushroom.
As for me, after my own autumnal jaunt around Berkshire, further foraging is certainly on the cards. The dream, as Virginia Woolf might have put it, is to be able to pick a mushroom of one’s own.
WARNING: Never, ever eat a mushroom (or any other forage) you aren’t 100% certain you’ve identified correctly. Seriously, many of the most dangerous types look very similar to traditional, store-bought mushrooms and can kill you in the most horrible way imaginable. The Death Cap, for example, causes kidney and liver failure and has no known antidote. If in doubt, seek an expert.
- The Crown: thecrownatbray.com; 01628 621936
- Matthew Dorich: matthewskitchen.co.uk
More tasty forage to look out for...
Bullace
Perfect for crumbles, jams and preserves, these wonderful wild plums can be found in hedges, wood bordersand scrub.
Chestnuts
A Christmas classic! You’ll find the best crops at the foot of larger, better established chestnut trees. NB: Remember to score a cross in your chestnuts when cooking to stop them exploding.
Nettles
Properly prepared, the leaves make a wonderful addition to soups and salads. Do not eat nettles that have flowered, however, as they act as a laxative!
Dandelion
These hardy weeds can still be found in open fields during the winter months. The leaves are great for salads, sandwiches and stews.
Sloes
The key ingredient for that classic winter warmer, sloe gin. Oft found in blackthorn trees, along hedgerows and in fields.
Check out our Food Section for more tasty local morsels
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