Reality TV show blamed for wild mushroom shortage

Television show Hell's Kitchen is being blamed for putting species of wild mushroom in danger. Millions of viewers saw top chef Marco Pierre White sing the praises of wild mushrooms when he cooked them with Dover Sole on the ITV1 show recently. But rangers on a country estate have now warned that people are cashing in by picking "car boot loads" of the expensive fungi in the countryside to sell to food-lovers in the cities.

The rise in TV shows by celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein, Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White has seen a demand for more unusual ingredients such as the wild mushrooms. Some of the gastronomes' favourites are chanterelle, horn of plenty and Penny buns.

But one nature trust has taken steps to prevent the over-picking of wild mushrooms to save them from possible extinction. The Elan Valley Trust have banned visitors from picking wild mushrooms. About 10,000 species of mushroom grow in Britain - and about 1,000 were found on the estate.

Trumpet Chanterelles or Yellow Foot Chanterelle mushrooms are one of the species affected by the growth in appetite for wild mushrooms and Peter Jennings, head ranger at 42,000-acre Elan Valley estate in Mid-Wales said: "We have had people from eastern Europe picking whole car-boot loads for commercial purposes.

"I have been here 20 years and in my time numbers have declined. Jennings added: "Some species have disappeared from sites - and it's no coincidence those are the ones that sell for the most money."

But nature-lover Daniel Butler who runs tours condemned the mushroom picking ban.

He said: "I have been doing this for nine years without any problems, and there is no scientific evidence that I'm causing any damage whatsoever by picking mushrooms.

"They are fantastically edible, but some are only about an inch off the ground and difficult to see without picking.

"I'm not commercially exploiting the valley, but I want to open people's eyes to mushrooms."

Trust chairman John Evans defended the blanket ban - despite protests from some nature lovers who want to study the mushrooms.

He said: "It would be impossible to police if you permit some people to take some fungi, some of the time, in some places.

"We think it is wiser to have a total prohibition on the removal of any fungi on the estate."

There's mushrooms in .....

Norway!!

Your Mushroom Man took a break from the grindstone to visit the Arctic Circle over the weekend - but there's no getting away from God's Own Food!!

Here's a strange variety of wild mushroom found close to the Lyngen Alps, about 60 miles north of the world's most northernmost city, Tromso,in Norway. The local Sami people are great users of wild mushrooms - and these pretty things ended up in a pot of Reindeer Stew which had been simmering over an open fire for a good few hours.


Not sure what type of mushroom we were eating - but, fortunately I had help at hand to guide me!

Life saving mushrooms!

Well we always said that mushrooms - and in particular wild mushrooms - were superfoods and full of healthy goodness. Well now proof that mushrooms are not only health-giving - but life saving!

An American couple managed to get lost last weekend after going hiking. In fact so lost did they get, they were missing for five nights and only found over the weekend!

Fortunately, there's a happy ending as the couple were found by rescuers.

And how did they survive?

On a very healthy diet of wild mushrooms and berries that's how!

Read their story here.

So how important are mushrooms?

Well - very.

That's according to the GulfNews.com anyway.

Because, whilst the rest of the world was reporting, watching or listening to the service to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of the Princess of Wales. GulfNews.com was hunting for Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

And where did they find her?

At Balmoral, picking mushrooms.

That's how important mushrooms are - even royalty pick them!