Bay Bolete
Imleria badia · Boletaceae
A reliable and common bolete: rich bay-brown cap and pores that bruise blue-green at a touch.
Edible. Avoid any bolete with red or orange pores, and any that tastes bitter.
Read the full foraging safety guidance.
Season
August to November
Where it grows
- Conifer woodland
- Broadleaf woodland
- Mossy ground
Identification
- Cap
- 5-15cm, deep bay to chestnut brown, smooth, slightly sticky when wet.
- Gills / pores
- No gills. Pale yellow pores bruising blue-green when pressed.
- Stem
- Brown, streaky, no net pattern.
- Flesh
- White to pale yellow, blueing slightly.
- Spore print
- Olive brown.
- Smell & taste
- Pleasant and mushroomy.
Lookalikes
Other boletes with red pores or intensely bitter flesh. Nothing deadly among British boletes.
In the kitchen
Almost as good as a cep and far more common. Excellent fried or dried.
Recipes using Bay Bolete
Also edible
Penny Bun
Boletus edulis
The most sought-after wild mushroom in Britain: nutty, firm and richly scented, with a pale bun-like cap and a fat netted stem.
Chanterelle
Cantharellus cibarius
Egg-yolk yellow, trumpet-shaped and smelling faintly of apricots. One of the safest and finest edibles once learned.
Field Mushroom
Agaricus campestris
The classic mushroom of unimproved pasture: white cap, pink gills darkening to brown, and a clean mushroomy smell.