Although only 5 per cent of Irish wild mushrooms are edible, those that are are so delicious it behoves us to learn to identify them. The grand vizier of mushroom identification in Britain and Ireland is Roger Phillips (pictured).

His Mushrooms book, now available as an app, is bewilderingly comprehensive, but careful perusal will lead to delicious meals and avoid gastro- intestinal catastrophes. Don't miss him when he comes to Cork on May 17th to share his wisdom at Ballymaloe's Lit Fest. litfest.ie