Chicken of the wood

'Darkest Africa' takes on a whole new meaning when it takes a week of pleading and begging for a technician to eventually fix a fault in their over priced, over loaded and stone age slow adsl line.

So I'm very behind on a fabulous week and am going to start right back at the beginning, Marie and that sensational mushroom.......

Armed with my basket, knife and Marie from 66 square feet's careful directions- they read something like this 'across the dam wall to the far south, on the sandy path under pines. On your Left there is very tall oak stump. It is on the far side of a deep hollow, near the stream'.

I must have pirate blood, who wouldn't be excited with directions like that?

 It was a treasure hunt and the prize was Marie's much anticipated chicken of the wood mushroom, a scary orange cluster  mushroom growing on an old oak stump... (I trust you Marie, plus she describes it much better here)- apparently it is utterly delicious and poor Marie, so far away was agonized at the thought of all that deliciousness unappreciated and uneaten.....well not on my watch!

I made it for breakfast, sauteed some onions and garlic, added the sliced mushroom, a sprinkling of lemon thyme and a few glucks of white wine, simmered gently for 8 mins....oh heaven, what a treat!

The next day for lunch, I added a few slices to the peppers, cherry tomatoes and ham, tossed the lot with tagliatelle - a subtle mushroom flavour, meaty and no slimy texture that some wild mushrooms get.

I was saving the last piece for pizzas, but was feeling generous and gave it to a friend, who served it for dinner to her friends.

Now there are many of us interested in that old stump- thank you for sharing  from so far away Marie.