Classic Cookery, Gardening and Outdoor Courses

Mushroom Growing for Wellness

10:00 - 15:00
|
from £132.00

Overview

Growing your own mushrooms is fun, easy, and requires very little space. Join local mushroom grower and forager Nick Phillips, who cultivates stunning, bouquet-like punnets of fungi near Bridport. In this hands-on course, he’ll share his secrets on how to grow edible mushrooms at home, including shiitake, lion’s mane, oyster, king oyster, and shimeji.

You’ll learn how to establish an indoor mushroom growing kit and how to impregnate a log for outdoor cultivation. This inaugural course also features Rachel de Thample, a lifelong mushroom enthusiast who has successfully grown mushrooms in coffee grounds at home. She’ll guide you through delicious fungi recipes that you can enjoy during the course, while also sharing valuable insights into the health benefits of mushrooms and tips to enhance their nutritional value.

By the end of this one-day course, you’ll have the confidence to grow your own mushrooms naturally and cook them too!

Highlights

  • Discover the secrets to growing mushrooms at home!
  • Learn to cultivate shiitake, lion’s mane, and oyster mushrooms.
  • Create your own indoor mushroom growing kit.
  • Master outdoor mushroom log inoculation techniques.
  • Enjoy delicious mushroom recipes crafted by expert chefs.
  • Uncover the health benefits of mushrooms with expert insights.
  • Gain confidence in your mushroom-growing skills!
Book this course
Adult
Can’t find the right date? Click here to receive an alert
when new dates are released for this event.

Your day

10:00 - 15:00

Make yourself at home

You will meet your hosts and start the day with tea, coffee and a taster of Rachel’s mushroom granola.

Session one

Nick will introduce you to various types of mushrooms you can grow at home, even without a garden. You'll enjoy tastings of different mushrooms, and Rachel will share creative cooking ideas to maximise their health benefits.

Session two

Dive into preparing a delicious Mushroom Ramen Soup for lunch, featuring both foraged and cultivated mushrooms.

lunch

Tuck into your delicious lunch, and if you like, take the opportunity to explore the farm.

Session three

Nick will demonstrate how to inoculate logs with mushroom spores, teaching you about the best types of trees and wood to use, which mushrooms can be grown this way, and how to maintain them.

Session four

Rachel will lead you into the enchanting realm of medicinal mushrooms, sharing insights on how to utilise them for both health benefits and flavour. You'll sample Nick’s mushroom tea and prepare Rachel’s delicious chocolate chaga halva.

Departure

You’ll have time for a final tasting and to ask any questions about caring for your mushroom kits before heading home at 3 PM.

Further Information

Directions

This course is run from River Cottage HQ on the Dorset/Devon borders. Full address details of HQ will be provided once you have booked.

Licensed Venue

We are a licensed venue. We have a wide selection of the finest organic wines available to purchase.

Accommodation

If you would like to stay at the heart of River Cottage, we offer overnight accommodation at River Cottage HQ in our beautiful 17th century farmhouse. We have three stylishly refurbished bedrooms for B&B plus the 2-bedroom Gardener's Cottage. These get booked quickly so for more information go to rivercottage.net/stay to book. Alternatively, we have put together a list of our local accommodation which includes B&Bs, self-catering, hotels and camping.

Suitability

We would advise that this course is only really suitable for 12 years of age and upwards. Under 16s must be accompanied by a paying adult. We put these guidelines in place for the safety, comfort and enjoyment of all our guests.

Allergy Advice

Sorry, we’re afraid this course is not suitable for those who have an intolerance or allergy to mushrooms.