St Georges

The St George’s Mushroom

The sublime taste of spring?

Easily identifiable the mushrooms only appear in the spring, on or a round St George’s Day (April 23rd) and, depending on the weather can stay until the end of May.

They can be found in many locations, such as roadside verges and parks but mainly in grassland and lightly wooded areas, sometime singly but more commonly in rings which can extend to many metres across. They are one of the finest wild mushrooms with a firm texture and mealy smell. They are much loved by the French who refer to them as the “true mushroom”.

Cut off the lower part of the stem and with a small brush clean the topside and underneath of the cap. They can then be sliced and sauted in butter or served with asparagus in an omelette in which they retain a lovely firm chewy texture. For variation add a little chopped garlic ramson leaves or a few small pieces of crow garlic.