Marco Pierre White’s favourite wild mushroom recipe

During my interview with Marco Pierre White, he told me about his favourite wild mushroom recipe, using freshly foraged mousserons (also called fairy ring mushrooms).

Mousserons look like this:

Mousseron mushrooms (or fairy ring)

It's a great late lunch/brunch dish: basically posh eggs on toast with wild mushrooms. It sounds delicious, but not very healthy — poached oeufs in butter, anyone? (me, me, me!)

“My favourite wild mushroom recipe uses mousseron mushrooms,” says Marco Pierre White, “which I think are also called fairy ring champignon.”

After you’ve found a basketful of the lovely mushrooms (and properly identified them), Marco says: “Clean them off and remove their tough stalks.

“Drizzle a little olive oil over them and put them on a tray and pop them under the grill. Never put these mushrooms in a pan, as you will flatten them,” he advises. “Grill them gently.”

In a new pan, melt a large amount of butter, “I'm talking half a pack,” he says seriously.

“Then crack six eggs, or however many, into the melted butter and gently poach the eggs in the butter.”

Don't let the butter bubble though, “that is very important,” he says.

When the eggs are ready, season them with salt and pepper and transfer onto some (unbuttered) toast.

“You can drizzle some of the butter from the pan if you want to. And sprinkle the grilled wild mushrooms on top of the eggs. Serve it with some fresh salad leaves.

Well, my taste buds are tingling! “I'm not saying this recipe is good for the heart,” Marco says, “but it is pleasing for the heart.”

I'm looking forward to finding a big haul of mousserons so I can try this recipe out for myself.

Would you mess with Marco and Simon?