Carluccio sparks mushroom rush

A forest is so seriously threatened by mushroom gatherers that the Corporation of London is set to introduce its first-ever system of licensed picking.

For centuries, Epping Forest has been one of the country's richest supplies of edible mushrooms, raided only by a knowledgeable few.

But since BBC chef Antonio Carluccio - author of A Passion For Mushrooms - brought the delights of funghi to national awareness, eager new converts are picking away, putting a strain on supplies and jeopardising the ancient woodland's delicate ecological balance.

Forest conservation officer Jeremy Dagley said: "Until recently the British weren't really that keen on mushrooms, so demand was never that huge. But since TV chefs like Mr Carluccio came along, the forest has more collectors than it can cope with.

"It's great that he has encouraged people to take an interest, as it is a fascinating aspect of nature and gets them to come to the forest. Unfortunately, we now have to bring things under control."

The 2,500-hectare forest-one of Britain's oldest, has been owned by the Corporation since 1878 and is home to around 1,600 different species of mushrooms and funghi.

As well as edible varieties such as the chanterelle, penny bun, parasol and horn of plenty, there are rare growths such as the Devil's bolete, which has appeared only once in the last century and is deadly.

Until recently, fears of accidental poisoning kept British gatherers away. Epping saw only the occasional Italian or East European, the odd restaurant supplier, and a few people who had read Food For Free, a hippyish 1970s tome on the joys of English countryside cuisine.

However Mr Carluccio, who helped train Jamie Oliver, brought the delights of mushrooms to a new generation of chefs. His former protègè Gennaro Contaldo, now chef-proprieter of Passione restaurant in Charlotte Street regularly visits Epping Forest.

"There has always been a by-law against picking them, but it wasn't a problem as long as it was just a few people," said Mr Dagley. "Now, as well as more individual collectors, we are getting a lot of commercial suppliers taking big car loads at a time."