Edible Wild Fungi

These spectacular and unmistakeable little winter and early spring fungi are quite common in damp, mossy deciduous woods with plenty of windfall.

I would choose this as my last meal. It is simply perfect and perfect simplicity. You just need to ensure that your ceps are young, firm and crisp, with a texture almost like tender coconut. These are just too fine and rare for cooking and should be celebrated in all their glorious, raw simplicity. And don’t penny-pinch on the parmesan!

Common, easily identified and tasty – oyster mushrooms are a good beginner’s mushroom that is available for much of the year. But there are one or two look-alikes you should be aware of…

While the feint flavour and slippery yet crunchy texture of jelly ear isn’t particularly esteemed in western cultures, they work well eastern cuisine – especially miso soups, stir-fry etc.

Often appearing on lawns and near rotten tree stumps, the common inkcap is generally less common, and certainly less worthwhile eating, than its cousin the shaggy inkcap…