Wild Mushrooms

For many chefs and food enthusiasts, autumn ranks as the very best time of year for produce. This might seem curious given the colour and carnival of summer, replete with countless fruits and berries along with the wide range of fresh vegetables growing in our fields. Why then, do so many earmark the darker, shorter days of autumn as their calendar highlight? They may mention autumnal comforts like cobnuts, blackberries, figs, plums and elderberries, but what really sets autumn apart are the wild mushrooms that suddenly shoot out of the cooler ground following spells of rain.

There are over 2000 wild varieties of edible mushrooms but the most popular include chanterelles, girolles, trompettes, pied de mouton and the much-celebrated cep (porcini).

These fungal fruits come in all shapes and sizes from the ashy grey, somewhat nefarious looking trompettes (‘trumpet of death’) to the chunky pied de mouton which has spindly pins sticking out (giving it the nickname ‘hedgehog mushroom’). Each has its own unique texture and flavour profile. However, what virtually all these fungi have in common is their earthy, metallic smell and the rich umami depth they add to a dish like risotto.

There is also a certain cheffy prestige for those with the skill to forage their own mushrooms, but this is not an activity for the inexperienced, casual forager. Here in the UK, most of us now have limited or non-existent knowledge of mushroom foraging (though some incredible Scottish girolles are still picked for market).

Thankfully the ritual is alive and well in many parts of Europe and beyond. Sanita (from our storeroom team at Leiths) hails from Latvia and growing up she would routinely forage for and prepare forest mushrooms like Lactarius torminosus, more commonly known in English as ‘woolly milkcap’. The woolly milkcap is poisonous when eaten raw, but I’m reliably informed that when carefully parboiled it leaves the chef with a rather meaty textured mushroom, with a prized peppery taste.

While the woolly milkcap is probably unlikely to make its way to our storeroom any time soon, the Foundation Term at Leiths will see as many fantastic varieties as possible to develop and showcase the talent of our students.

Read the recipe

• Wild Mushrooms Risotto