St Georges Mushroom
Calocybe gambosa · Lyophyllaceae
A solid white spring mushroom of grassland, traditionally appearing around St Georges Day.
Edible. Its season and strong mealy smell are key. Never pick small white grassland mushrooms without them.
Read the full foraging safety guidance.
Season
April to June
Where it grows
- Grassland
- Pasture
- Hedge banks
- Chalk downland
Identification
- Cap
- 5-15cm, creamy white to buff, thick and fleshy, edge inrolled and often wavy.
- Gills / pores
- Crowded, white, narrow, attached to the stem.
- Stem
- Short, stout, white.
- Flesh
- White, thick, firm.
- Spore print
- White.
- Smell & taste
- Strongly of fresh flour or wet meal.
Lookalikes
The deadly Fools Funnel (Clitocybe rivulosa) is much smaller with gills running down the stem. Inocybe species are smaller with brown fibrous caps.
In the kitchen
Rich and mealy. Excellent in pies and with spring lamb.
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.