Cantharellus cibarius · Cantharellaceae
Also called Girolle, Egg Mushroom
Egg-yolk yellow, trumpet-shaped and smelling faintly of apricots. One of the safest and finest edibles once learned.
Edible. Learn the ridge-not-gill difference before picking.
Read the full foraging safety guidance.
June to November
False Chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca) has true thin crowded orange gills and no apricot smell. The deadly Jack-o-Lantern is not established in Britain.
Do not wash if avoidable. Cook slowly in butter to drive off water, then season. Poor dried.
Wild Mushrooms on Toast
The honest test of any wild mushroom. Butter, a hot pan, good bread and nothing to hide behind.
Pickled Chanterelles
Keeps a good autumn on the shelf until Christmas.
Cheat's wild mushroom risotto
The original oven-baked risotto from the old Wild Mushrooms Online recipe pages. No standing over the pan stirring for half an hour - the oven does the work while you lay the table. Dried ceps give the depth, fresh wild mushrooms give the texture.
Calocybe gambosa
A solid white spring mushroom of grassland, traditionally appearing around St Georges Day.
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.
Agaricus campestris
The classic mushroom of unimproved pasture: white cap, pink gills darkening to brown, and a clean mushroomy smell.
