I get a lot of requests online for help identifying wild foods – especially fungi. I welcome these – it is a pleasure to help people improve their knowledge and gives me an opportunity to sharpen my identification skills. Win-win. But I feel a little guidance to people looking for help with ID would make the exchange more useful to both them and me…

No matter how hard I try when serving my wild food tasting menus, this elderberry vinegar always steals the show when served as a simple wild salad dressing. It is fruity, thick and very sweet, with a depth of flavour that puts it on a par with, if not beyond, the very finest balsamic vinegars. It actually got a “wow” from the team at Andrew Fairlie’s restaurant at Gleneagles…

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.