Stalking Edible Wild Mushrooms

For the last 12 years Rob Ridlington & Tim James have been ‘obsessively’ intrigued by wild edible mushrooms, and every year during the season, can be seen hunting for them around Sidmouth, Devon.

During this two hour wild edible mushroom walk, Tim & Rob will be uncovering the fungal food delights that country dwellers have enjoyed for centuries.

Their banter and humour turns what could be a very boring academic subject, into a wonderful journey into the Kingdom of Edible Mushrooms.

Over 20 different edible species can be found around Sidmouth, however there is very definitely a difference between an ‘edible’ mushroom and a ‘tasty’ mushroom, and by the end of the course you will, weather permitting and other acts of God, have explored up to 10 gourmet wild mushrooms.

Please Note: The exciting thing about mushroom hunting is that you never quite know what you’ll discover. Sometimes you may come home with a large glut of edible mushrooms, and at other times you may return empty handed. In Nature there are no guarantees!

Location: Mutters Moor, Peak Hill, Sidmouth, Devon
Time: 10am to 1pm
Cost: £20 per person
Size: Maximum 10 people.

“What a wonderful day we have had today foraging for mushrooms. Please pass on our thanks once again to Tim and Rob for their kind and informative tour. Not only did we enjoy the course but we met some great people too. Our small haul formed part of our dinner this evening and very nice it was too. Thanks once again.” – Sue & Gerry Ballantine

“I really enjoyed the mushroom walk, I think everyone did and the time flew by. I went home with more knowledge than I set out with which was virtually none. Both Tim and Rob were very easy to ask questions of and didn’t seem to mind how many you asked. They were both very informative and knowledgeable. Lots more mushroom walks please!” – Jane Long

“It was a great way to spend a Sunday morning. Tim and Rob were lovely in their enthusiasm and easy communication with all of the group – who seemed very relaxed with each other in turn. It was good to get some specific id’s – and the cautionary ‘well, we’ll need to take this one back and look at it further to identify it properly’. And to have the colouration from bruising as an identification aid.” – Richard Molyneux

“My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the morning.  Rob and Tim were obviously very knowledgeable and very patient too.  We left feeling quite confident that we can recognise about six or seven edible mushrooms – amethyst deceivers, tawny grisettes, puff-balls, beech boletes, saffron milkcaps, penny buns, and chanterelles – which is what we were hoping for.  We took home some of them and they were delicious.  We also left with a really good sense of caution and a desire to learn more.  We will try to go out with Rob and Tim again!” – Stephen Whitefield

“Firstly, we thought it was worth every penny, even the fuel from St. Austell, Cornwall. so great value for money. Tim and Rob were dedicated to all our wants and needs and (although this I understand is not uncommon) much more time than we expected. For us this was a bonus especially as we had the chance to taste the morsels we collected, cooked under the least wet tree we could find. Tim and Rob were professional and reinforced the need for carrying a book and to be aware of all the elements needed to correctly identify edible mushrooms. Between them they have a real wealth of knowledge. Finally, (and more importantly) it gave us more confidence to forage ourselves and since the walk we had spotted ‘deceivers’ under our beach tree. We were both very excited. Thanks very much and would highly recommend others attend the walk” – Adrian White