These mushroom pictures have been taken from our first River Cottage handbook “Mushrooms” by our very own wild food expert and Fun(gi) John Wright. In fact John is such a talent he took these photos himself and we spent a long time pressing him into picking his favourite four photos – he just kept changing his mind!

Printed in full colour on 300 gsm recycled board (A3 – 297 mm x 420 mm) in ozone free inks on an eco friendly press these pictures look very good on their own or grouped together.

Here’s what John says about identifying the varieties. For more details on many other species together with some wonderful recipe ideas look at River Cottage Handbook No. 1 – Mushrooms.

Velvet Shank – Cap 3-7 cm. Orange, paler at the edge. Very slimy in wet weather. Stem 1.5-7 cm by 0.3-1 cm. Usually curved, yellow at the top, brown to black below and distinctly velvety when mature. Tough and fibrous. Gills Pale yellowish. Flesh Thin, pale orange/yellow. Spores White. Habitat On the dead stumps of deciduous trees, notably elm. In large, dense, tiered clusters. Frequency Common. Season Late autumn to winter.