Winter Chanterelle
Craterellus tubaeformis · Cantharellaceae
Also called Yellowfoot, Trompette
Small, hollow-stemmed and abundant in late autumn moss, often carpeting whole banks.
Edible. As always with small brown mushrooms, be certain of the ridges and the hollow stem.
Read the full foraging safety guidance.
Season
August to December
Where it grows
- Conifer woodland
- Mossy banks
- Damp woodland
Identification
- Cap
- 2-6cm, brownish-grey, funnel-shaped with a wavy edge, often perforated in the centre.
- Gills / pores
- Blunt forking greyish ridges running down the stem, not true gills.
- Stem
- Hollow, yellow to orange, slender.
- Flesh
- Thin and pale.
- Spore print
- Cream.
- Smell & taste
- Faintly fruity.
Lookalikes
Nothing dangerous shares the ridged underside with a hollow yellow stem.
In the kitchen
Excellent dried and powdered as a seasoning, or cooked whole in cream.
Recipes using Winter Chanterelle
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.