Whether button, white or brown cup, portabello, shiitake or oyster, it’s worth remembering that the larger the mushroom the more the flavour develops, although any type can be used in stir-frys, pasta sauces, casseroles, risottos, salads, pies or curries. Mushrooms can also be made into toppings, roasted, grilled, stuffed or served as a delicious canapé on their own.

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Full of flavour yet virtually fat free, there are numerous health benefits to incorporating mushrooms into your daily diet, as a result of their being a good source of high energy B vitamins, potassium, selenium, folic acid and iron. Four large closed cup mushrooms or 16 baby button mushrooms (80g) is an ideal contribution towards the 5-a-day target.

As one of the highest antioxidant vegetables, mushrooms are packed full of vitamins and minerals, with dietary fibre to leave you feeling more satisfied. They are also extremely rich in protein, making them an ideal alternative protein source for vegetarians.

TV chef and oyster bar owner Ed Baines, who is the spokesperson for The Mushroom Bureau’s ‘Mushrooms Make Sense’ campaign demonstrated mushrooms’ versatility and value by whipping up his newly created simple, tasty and filling family friendly recipes, including an

Aromatic Mushroom Curry with Portabello Mushrooms and a Chestnut Mushroom and Spinach Sauce with Rigatoni and Parmesan, using chestnut mushrooms to create a rich woody flavour and some lemon juice to add contrast.

As a huge mushroom fan because of their “versatility, taste and good value for money,” Ed believes mushrooms are “great for adding flavour and substance to a dish.” His recipes use few ingredients yet are healthy, hearty, filling and easy to prepare, making them the ideal choice for feeding friends or family on any occasion.

Author of ‘The Green Kitchen’, Richard Ehrlich highlighted how well mushrooms fit into some of the most important cooking methods and strategies of the green kitchen, making them the perfect choice for consumers concerned about the environment.

Explaining how the kitchen is the ideal place to minimise the use of energy, Richard demonstrated a couple of his favourite ‘green’ mushroom recipes; Stuffed Mushrooms with Crab, Spring Onion and Chives, and Duxelles; a classic French dish of chopped white or brown closed-cap mushrooms, butter, shallots or spring onions and parsley, which can be used as a topping, sauce, filling or canapé, and is ideal for freezing.

Richard has developed seven recipes to illustrate how well mushrooms can be prepared using green cooking methods including; Quick Cooking, which requires little energy use; Cooking speeded up by the use of lidded cookware; Microwave cooking, using one of the most energy-efficient cooking appliances; Making maximum use of the oven, so that the oven is never used for just one dish and Cooking for multiple meals, whereby the surplus is refrigerated or frozen for another meal to save energy (and time).

With their health and diet benefits and so many recipes and varieties to choose from, mushrooms really are the food type that has it all.

For more information, please visit www.mushroomsmakesense.com