Love it or loathe it, it’s only a few days now until Halloween. What will you be doing? Will you be out doing ‘trick or treat’ with the kiddies, impatiently waiting for trick or treaters to come to collect goodies from you, down the pub with your mates, having a wild party, or hiding with the curtains shut and lights off waiting for it all to go away? Whatever you’re intending, this is the season for some lovely comfort foods. This time of year there’s a definite chill in the air, but bright sunshine too (except on rainy days – but let’s ignore those!). So, it’s time for the warming soups and comforting bakes. Continue reading “Halloween”
Month: October 2018
Guest Post – Mushroom foraging
This week I’ve thrown the gauntlet to a guest blogger to offer a timely warning for anyone wishing to go foraging for mushrooms this Autumn. I hand you over to James …..
As we enter the season of mists and decay, the delights of foraging for fruits and fungi are certain to be promoted on countless countryside programmes and in the glossy magazines that accompany wildlife charities’ newsletters. The colourful profusion of fungi across the countryside, lit up by the low-angled sun glinting through russet leaves and glistening spiders’ webs, is what makes autumn the most glorious of seasons to be out and about in Britain. I have on occasion plundered the odd wild mushroom for the pot – if you know what you are doing, nothing beats a home made Chanterelle omelette, a grilled Parasol cap stuffed with Parma ham and Stilton, or pasta with blewits in a blue cheese sauce. Nevertheless, the enthusiastic expertise of the presenters and authors of these articles is not shared by the majority of the populace in our country hence, members of the public eager to get back to nature with their culinary creations may be leading themselves into grave danger. So, if you’re thinking of going down into the woods today to collect rich pickings from Nature’s bounty for your table, here are 10 reasons why it may be a bad idea: Continue reading “Guest Post – Mushroom foraging”