Wealden Times | WT257 | October 2023 | Interiors & Bathrooms Supplement inside

An hour’s exploration of the
woods near the house revealed
the most fantastic collection
of fungi of all sorts and
some wonderful lichen too
Images: istockphoto.com/Multiart / Annika Nilsson / TT
forager’s favourite, but either someone
had already passed through this patch
or I just didn’t know where to look.
Having said that, I did come across two
or three here or there. It’s quite difficult
to miss them as they are bright yellow
or orange and very distinctive. They
also smell of apricots. The interesting
thing about chanterelle is that they
are a mycorrhizal fungus which, over
the years, form a symbiotic association
with the trees they are growing with.
This makes them very difficult to grow
in cultivation. Known as the ‘gold of
the forest’ they are a significant source
of Vitamin D and of course, both free
and 100% organic. I rather liked the
look of the natty gadget in the kitchen
department of the local supermarket
with a little knife to cut and collect
the chanterelles attached to a small
brush to clean them off should they
need it. I’m rather glad I didn’t buy
one though as I think that in my case
it might have been a bit under used!
Sue Whigham can be contacted on
07810 457948 for gardening advice
Clockwise from top left: Ripe for the
(responsible) picking: wild lingonberries;
ramsons (wild garlic); wild blueberries