Beware of dragons, death and puns

As a freelancer I often find myself without work. On such occasions I would normally relish the opportunity to get outside and go for a wonder, but when the April showers come in the guise of successive tempests the idea of a foray has limited appeal. However, last week I decided to don my 'waterproof' trousers and march to a new patch of my local foraging territory armed with all manner of collecting devices.

"Advance our standards, set upon our foes
Our ancient world of courage fair St. George
Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons."
Richard III, act v, Sc.3.

As I stepped around a fairly large bog that obstructed my path I ducked under a low lying branch only to find a few familiar friends from autumns gone by - mushrooms! Saintly white in colour this fairy ring in spring could only be one thing - the St. George's mushroom. As I worked my way around the outside of the circle picking the best of the crop I felt the presence of a beast close by... Alas, not a mythical, fire-breathing dragon but instead a mighty roe deer buck who had paused for a few seconds before prancing off into the woodland.

Further down the path I discovered two more half-rings of St George's and in total I foraged over a kilo of protein-packed, free food leaving the vast majority of what was on offer. Or at least I hoped they were St George's, I had never actually found any before...

" Inspire us with your mushroomy
goodness to consume thee"
Andy Wakefield, blogspot 2012

On my return home I started my usual investigatory routine with the aid of four trustworthy books. White flesh, gills, stems and spores all hinted towards a positive ID, as did the strong smell of raw pastry. Although, being several months out of practise I decided to contact author of 'River Cottage Handbook No.1 Mushrooms' John Wright for reassurance. With his kind guidance and approval there was only one final way to found out if they were eaters or not... give a punnet of them to my boss to eat.

Following his survival I made a second crusade to recover yet more hidden relics and last night I made a creamy St. George's lasagna topped with oak smoked cheddar and homemade blushed tomatoes - legendary!

Long live rainy days in spring that yield saints I say, cry God for Harry!, England and St.George! Huzzah!