Hedgehog Fungus
Hydnum repandum · Hydnaceae
Also called Wood Hedgehog, Pied de Mouton
Buff coloured with soft spines instead of gills. Almost impossible to confuse with anything dangerous.
Edible. Older specimens turn bitter.
Read the full foraging safety guidance.
Season
August to November
Where it grows
- Broadleaf woodland
- Conifer woodland
- Mossy ground
Identification
- Cap
- 3-15cm, cream to peachy buff, suede-like, with a wavy irregular edge.
- Gills / pores
- No gills: crowded soft cream spines hang beneath the cap and rub off easily.
- Stem
- Off-centre, white, thick and firm.
- Flesh
- White, brittle, bruising yellowish.
- Spore print
- Cream.
- Smell & taste
- Pleasant, taste slightly peppery when raw.
Lookalikes
Nothing dangerous in Britain shares the soft spines with this shape and colour.
In the kitchen
Cook a little longer than other mushrooms. Keeps well and holds its texture in stews.
Recipes using Hedgehog Fungus
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.