OUR MUSHROOMS

White Buttons

Small to medium in size attached to short stems, available all-year round.

Portabella

An much larger and extremely versatile mushroom native to Italy.

Swiss Browns

The baby of the Portabello family, Swiss Browns have a bolder, more robust taste.

White Flats

A meal in themselves, flats have an intense, robust, almost ‘meaty’ flavour.

White Cups

A versatile mushroom, highly rated in soups and sauces.

Know your mushroom varieties

BUTTONS

Common name: Champignons

Botanical name: Agaricus bisporus

Buttons are the youngest and generally (but not always) the smallest. The name refers to their shape and stage of growth, not the size. The cap of the button mushroom is always tightly closed around the stem. They have a firm, delicate texture and mild flavour that intensifies when cooked.

Perfect for: OK Raw, Pan-Fry, Pasta, Pizza, Salad, Sauce, Slow cook, Soup

CUPS

Common name: Pezizaceae

Botanical name: Agaricus bisporus

Cups present the next stage of growth. As the veils or caps begin to open around the stems, the mushrooms change from being buttons to cups. The texture is firm but their flavour and colour is more intense than button mushrooms.
A versatile mushroom, highly rated in soups and sauces.

Perfect for: OK Raw, Grill, Salad, Sauce, Slow cook, Soup, Pan-Fry, Pasta, Pizza

FLATS

Common name: Field, Breakfast, Barbecue, Jumbo Flats

Botanical name: Agaricus bisporus

The cap has opened out flat, exposing the rich, dark gills. Flats are a meal in themselves and make an ideal meat substitute. Flats have an intense, robust, almost ‘meaty’ flavour, with a dense, spongy texture slightly softer than cups and buttons.

Perfect for: OK Raw, Grill, Sauce, Slow cook, Soup, Stuffed, Baked, BBQ, Burgers

PORTABELLA

Common name: Portobello, Giant Cremini

Botanical name: Agaricus bisporus

Essentially a Swiss Brown left longer to grow so it opens out flat, exposing dark, fragrant gills Dense, firm, meaty texture. Deep, rich flavour. Portabella make tasty burger or toasted sandwich filling. Filled with a savoury filling or simply grilled, roasted or barbecued.

Perfect for: OK Raw, BBQ, Burgers, Pan-fry, Sauce

SWISS BROWN

Common name: Cremini, Brown, Roman, Italian

Botanical name: Agaricus bisporus

Swiss Brown mushrooms are closely related to white agaricus. Similar in shape and size. Tan to dark brown colour. A firmer texture than button mushrooms, with less moisture content, so they hold their shape well when cooked. Flavour is deeper and earthier than white mushrooms.

Perfect for: OK Raw, Pasta, Pan-fry, Sauce, Slow cook

Tips and tricks on selection, preparation and storage

SELECTION

Fresh mushrooms are firm to the touch,
have uniform colour and have a slightly shiny surface.

STORAGE

When stored in a brown paper bag on the bottom shelf of the fridge, mushrooms will last at least a week. So when you’re shopping, fill the bag full of fresh mushrooms so you can add them to various meals throughout the week.

PREPARATION

  • No waste and no fuss make mushrooms one of the easiest ingredients to prepare.
  • There is no need to peel mushrooms, apart from being time consuming a lot of goodness and flavour is in the skin.
  • Wipe mushrooms gently with a damp cloth. If necessary, simply use a soft brush to remove any dirt from the skin surface and trim the stem end.
  • If there is some residual compost still on the mushroom when you buy them, just brush it off. Do not soak mushrooms in water, as the mushrooms will absorb water. You can quickly wash whole mushrooms just before preparing a dish to remove the ‘dirt’. Dry them quickly soon after, before cooking or putting in a salad. Don’t wash sliced mushrooms because they will quickly absorb water through the exposed inner flesh.
  • Caps and stems can be used in recipes.