Through my work the other day I found myself chatting to a Sicilian guy, who is opening an Italian Restaurant near where we live.

Although he has previously only operated restaurants in London before, he said he had often been out our way previously to collect wild mushrooms.

I said to him, "like porcini you mean" and he said, "yes, you find the best kind round here"

We now have an arrangement. Come September when the mushrooms and Fungi are out, I will show him some of the best woodland around here and he (hopefully) will help me find some porcini.

I can't wait (come to think of it yes I can, because I don't want to wish away the Summer), but it should be really interesting.

He also told me that if you cook wild mushrooms with garlic, it will turn black if any of them are poisonous. Does anyone know if this is true? He said it was something that everyone knew back home.

Ricardo