Until recently, my experience with mushrooms has been limited to either the standard white button and brown chestnut varieties readily found in your local supermarket or the slightly more exotic portabella, shitake, and oyster mushrooms in Asian cuisines. And to be honest, I thought myself fairly knowledgeable about that particular food.
Wow was I wrong. From the bright orange Chicken of the Wood that can weigh up to 12 kilograms to the bloody beefsteak with its rich meaty juices, there are quite a few delicious types to discover. And once you have said 'shrooms, there are even more interesting ways to prepare them than sticking them in a stock, soup, or as garnish.
Tracy L, Diana B, and I had made the 2 hour journey from London to the New Forest to take part in a day of foraging and cooking with a focus on mushrooms. The course was offered by Mrs Bridget Tee, a spry lady of 70 who has been picking, sourcing, and distributing mushrooms for the past 40 years.
Mrs Tee has become one of the UK's top mushroom experts and her base of operations in the New Forest is a sprawling country home that has functioned as both an office and a B&B for the last 38 years. None of the furniture matches, yet it somehow feels connected as though each part is a snap shot to a different point of her rich and diverse experience.
We were graciously ushered by in by Julia to a small sitting room with overstuff armchairs. Julia later told us that she was a boarder at the B&B and that's how she came to know Mrs Tee and the Executive Chef for the course, Douglas Santi. It would seem that she came to visit and ended up staying with a job. Soon afterwards, with tea and coffee in hand, we were welcomed into Mrs Tee's parlour where the lady herself regaled us with stories of her life (she was a Pan Am stewardess back in the Mad Men days and also recently appeared on the UK TV series Four in a Bed). She even read out some hate mail she received from a medium-sized international company (she did not divulge the name) that compared her B&B to a Nazi prison camp with Mrs Tee as a guard. A bit harsh given this diminutive little lady was as full of smiles and joy (and perhaps a bit of liquid cheer) as could be and I hope to be like that when I'm her age.
The first half of our day comprised of wandering the local areas of the New Forest with our guide, Jackie, who pointed out the various bushes and trees which would, had we come in the autumn, provide a rich bounty of nuts and berries. She also showed us which flowers were tasty and nutritious to eat and enlightened us to the fact you could make wine out of pretty much anything.
After the 1.5 hr walk to build up our appetites, we were given over to the care of Douglas Santi who talked us through the various types of mushrooms we would be eating. He proceeded to make a mushroom quiche with chanterelles and oyster mushrooms (the speed and ease with which he made the pastry was impressive), a mushroom carpaccio utilising king oyster mushrooms sprinkled with olive oil and parmesan cheese, tagliatelle (also handmade in front of us in a matter of minutes) with mushroom sauce, and finally grilled pear and pineapple with caramel sauce. All in all, it was an epic meal.
I have to give props to Chef Santi who displayed a flair for showmanship and clear explanations despite English being his 5th (and least favourite) language. He was also kind enough to offer us a ride back to London (he lives with his wife and young daughter in West London and commutes each day) while answering a multitude of questions about being a Chef and food in general. Chef Santi is working on opening his own restaurant which we hope to see in the Brompton Road area in Spring 2013.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable day in the countryside, some top notch food and wine, and great company both new and old. I'd recommend this for anyone looking to get a better understanding of ingredients (particularly mushrooms) and interested in sourcing their own direct from the woods. Apparently, the government has a law that says you can pick up to 1.5 kg of mushrooms a day, although how you could eat that much daily is beyond me. read more
