Now that summer's over, you can concentrate on the many culinary delights of autumn. And if you weren't already on the case in mid-September, then it's time to get out the woolly socks and garters, along with the cleft walking stick and leather hat (you don't have to dress like an idiot when mushroom hunting but a lot of people seem to think it helps). You certainly don't need to live in the country to forage for fungi. Urban enthusiasts should be on the alert, too. Many of our parks and play areas have grass and wooded areas that are unsprayed and ungrazed and therefore prime habitat for wild-mushroom hunting. Don't take any chances when collecting mushrooms. A comprehensive field guide, such as Roger Phillips' Mushrooms and Other Fungi of Great Britain and Europe (Pan Books, 1981), is invaluable or *John Wright's River Cottage Handbook No 1 - Mushrooms or River Cottage Mushroom Magic DVD.  You should never risk eating a mushroom unless you are completely confident of its identification. There are some virulently poisonous fungi out there, so there's not mushroom for error (sorry).

*John is also the host of our Walk on the wild side - mushroom foraging courses and the photographer of our beautiful wild mushroom prints.