Mushroom month is coming

Did you know October is the best month for mushroom foraging?

View this email in your browser Courses       Dining      Restaurants      Vouchers October is the time of year when mushrooms are at their peak. Join us for a day's foraging, and give yourself the chance to get back to nature and explore the woodlands and fields around River Cottage, when the hedgerows and woodlands are putting on their autumnal display. Led by foraging expert and all-around River Cottage favourite, John Wright, you'll be led on a hunt for a wide range of fungi, and you'll be guided on how to identify mushrooms safely. After your foray, you'll head back to the farm to learn how to cook your foraged finds, before wrapping up your day with a funghi focussed feast.  Monday 8 October Monday 15 October   Monday 22 October Sunday 28 October BOOK NOW MEET JOHN WRIGHT... John is the author of the River Cottage Mushroom Handbook and our foraging expert. He has been involved with River Cottage since the early days, you may recognise him from the tv programmes. John is also an experienced hedgerow and seaweed forager, but fungi are his greatest passion and he has thirty-five years' experience in studying them. CHICKEN & MUSHROOM STEW   At this time of year when a chill starts to enter the air, a warming stew is always a welcome treat. This dish is between a stew and a braise; perfect to serve in autumn. If you're feeling wild and gamey, you could do this with a whole, jointed wild rabbit instead of the chicken. 8 pieces, or 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces (about 1.5kg in total) 2-–3 tablespoons plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper 3-–4 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil 250-–400ml dry or medium cider A knob of butter 350-–400g mushrooms (any kind you like, really), cut into large chunks or slices 1 bay leaf 1 large sprig of thyme 5 tablespoons double cream 2 teaspoons English mustard 1 tablespoon chopped parsley Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Recipe: Dust the chicken with the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces well in the hot frying pan. Transfer the chicken to a large casserole dish or pan. Add 250ml cider to the frying pan to deglaze, letting it bubble for a minute or two as you scrape up the bits from the bottom. Pour over the chicken and top up with more cider as necessary, so the liquor comes about halfway up the chicken. Heat the butter in another pan, add the mushrooms and sweat gently until their juices run. Add them with their juices to the chicken. Tuck the bay leaf and the thyme among the chicken and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered, or partially covered, very gently over a low heat (or with the lid on in the oven preheated to 140°C/Gas Mark 1)for about 1½ hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender, turning the pieces halfway through cooking. Remove the bay leaf and thyme. Pour the juices off into a pan, leaving the chicken and mushrooms in the stew. Whisk the cream and mustard into the juices and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then pour back over the chicken. Bring the whole lot back to a simmer, and it's ready to serve. Copyright © 2018 River Cottage, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in on our website or joined one of our mailing lists. Our mailing address is: River Cottage Trinity Hill Rd Axminster, Devon EX13 8TB United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.