The Michelin Guide recently launched a green star for “restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practices”, including the Ethicurean. Many, if not all, serve foraged items, helping to bring wild food to diners’ attention. And in the interest of protecting wildlife, familiarise yourself with what woodland animals’ habitats look like – so you can ensure you’re not destroying someone’s home as you forage. Don’t forage protected species Dish Soap: Like any natural hair brush, a few drops of dish soap will also effectively clean (but not necessarily sanitize) your tools. Wet the brush, lather the bristles, and then rinse and let dry. Make sure all the soap washes out. You can test this by rubbing dirt on your own hand and testing the brush on it. The majority of the dirt should be removed, without the brush scraping or gouging your skin.

It is important for a forager to know that some plants and fungi are deadly poisonous and that no risks should be taken with them. One of the most important items for mushroom foraging is having a bag to carry your finds. Mesh bags are the preferred carrying case for all mushrooms, primarily because they allow spores, insects, dirt, and other debris to fall off the mushroom out of your bag. Where once British cuisine was synonymous with stodgy suet and overcooked veg, Knight believes that television programmes such as Great British Menu have, in the past few years, helped to increase appreciation for what can be done with ingredients available locally. “It’s very difficult to find a restaurant [offering British cuisine] that doesn’t do wild food, because it’s intrinsic to seasoning and locality,” she says. The best mushroom foraging bags allow for air circulation and are sturdy, decently sized, and easy to carry. Fun fact: it seems like ibotenic acid and muscimol have a chemical structure analogous to glutamic acid and glutamate, so it is said that they too are flavour enhancers. But I suppose neurotoxins aren't the safest spices to cook with?

As we’ve already touched on, air circulation is important to preserve your mushrooms long enough to get them home. Besides this, mushroom bags are typically sturdy but not abrasive, so that they can hold your mushrooms without damaging the specimens. Right, I asked what was the most popular foraged food in the UK, and you guessed it was seaweed, which was the wrong answer. Mushrooms are the most popular foraged food. OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme about foraging - looking for wild edible plants to eat.

Restaurants such as the Ethicurean in the Mendip hills, where ingredients such as hedgerow berries regularly get on the menu, have been pioneers. While not forcing information on people, they try to “have a small amount of a foraged item potentially on most dishes, with a view to sparking interest in our guests”, says Matthew Pennington, chef and co-owner. He says it’s about “encouraging people to get out there and start to have a look in nature themselves.” If you’re looking for one mushroom species in particular, or just a specific type of mushroom, use the magnifying glass to differentiate between the specimen you found and similar ones. Field guides can provide you with details to look for. However, despite the bright colours, this isn't quite the dangerous mushroom many think it would be. The Fly Agaric does not contain the vital organ destroying toxins that can be found in the Deathcap and Destroying Angel. It's the rather pale coloured species of Amanita that you should be more concerned with. When foraging for mushrooms, use your magnifying glass after spotting the mushroom but prior to cutting it, if possible. Use the glass to examine the specific characteristics of the mushroom that may be difficult to see with your naked eye.It's still classed as a toxic mushroom as it contains the neurotoxins ibotenic acid and muscimol, which are inebriants, delirants, and in significant amounts can lead into a coma. But reports of death are very rare and associated with extreme circumstances. If you’re feeling funny about a plant, trust your gut. There are a lot of toxic plants out there and even foods that look friendly, like mushrooms and berries, can be extremely toxic if the wrong ones are foraged.

Mushrooms come in all manner of shapes, sizes, colors, and varieties— in fact, there are over 14,000 species of mushrooms currently in existence. Some are edible, some are medicinal, others are hallucinogenic, and a few are even deadly. So how can you safely forage for mushrooms? For example, a pile of logs in the woods will be home to numerous animals. Hedgehogs make their homes in these places, and stag beetles lay their grubs in the wood, so you shouldn’t disturb these places when foraging. Your foraging bag should preferably have a reinforced bottom so that the weight isn’t entirely focused on the center of the base. Depending on how many mushrooms you collect, this can be vital.Keep in mind, these aren’t necessarily the only way to create a spore print. However, they are useful and are the method recommended by the North American Mycological Association. What are Mushroom Spore Prints Used for? For those new to foraging, Pennington says it’s “important to go out with people that know a little bit more than you. You only need showing those two or three things and you’ll learn to recognise them.” Well, I’m convinced! So, what’s first on my wild food shopping list? I think it’s time you revealed the answer to your question, Beth. Gently move your brush over the mushroom so that the bristles can clean the cap and stem as necessary. The mushroom brush should remove dirt, spores, and other loosely attached debris. Mushroom brushes are designed with dense but soft bristles so that they don’t damage the mushroom. For those planning to head out, now is a good time. “Everybody can sense the fizz in the ground,” says Pennington. “All the wild herbs are springing up.”