Chicken of the Woods

It is lovely to be on a walk or cycle ride and to see, quite unexpectedly, a bright orange and yellow bracket fungus on the trunk of a tree, usually an Oak or Willow. This is the Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus, also known as the Sulphur Polypore. It is unmistakable.

It is also delicious, with a texture and taste rather like chicken. Young specimens, which are soft, brightly coloured and ooze with moisture, are the best. (Older specimens are paler, dry and hard and can taste a little bitter.)

We’ve found this fungus in many places from spring until autumn in Norfolk, Suffolk, mid Wales, Sussex and the Lake District. My wife has even braved barbed wire, shinned up a tree and carefully cut a piece from an old oak gatepost in our quests to capture a lovely specimen.

Chicken of the Woods can be added to a recipe in place of pieces of chicken, but I’ve never done this, as I prefer to fry it simply in a little butter or oil. Don’t be greedy when you pick it – just cut off some small pieces and leave the rest.

I have eaten and enjoyed Chicken of the Woods many times and I have given it to friends too, with no adverse effects. But the first time you try it, eat just a small piece to check that it agrees with you. The fungus is reputed to cause dizziness, hallucinations and gastric upsets in a small number of people. Avoid specimens growing on Yew trees – they will be poisonous.

Before eating any fungi, it is wise to invest in a good identification guide. One of the best is River Cottage Handbook No.1, “Mushrooms” by John Wright. John has a great sense of humour too, making this the most enjoyable book on fungi that I know.