Editor's choice
Willow foraging basket with liner
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- Species passport No. 014
- Forage only
- Can't be grown at home
Chanterelle
Cantharellus cibarius — golden, apricot-scented and one of the most prized wild mushrooms in Britain. Also one of the most commonly confused.
Identify
7-point ID checklist
Tick every box before you eat. One "no" means leave it — and check the look-alikes. If it's your first chanterelle, have an experienced forager confirm it in person.
Look-alikes
Chanterelle vs the two you must not confuse
-
Chanterelle
Cantharellus cibarius
- Blunt forked ridges
- Solid white flesh
- Grows from soil
-
False chanterelle
Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca
- True thin gills, crowded
- Brighter orange, softer flesh
- Often on conifer litter or rotting wood
- Can cause stomach upset — don't eat
-
Deadly webcap
Cortinarius rubellus
- Rusty-brown gills
- Web-like veil on young caps
- Can cause kidney failure; symptoms may take days to appear
Think you've eaten the wrong mushroom? Call 999 if someone is seriously unwell, otherwise NHS 111 — even if you feel fine. Keep any leftover mushroom to show the doctor.
Where & when
Finding chanterelles in the UK
- Mossy, well-drained woodland under beech, birch and oak — often on slopes and path edges
- July to November; best a few days after warm summer rain
- They come back to the same spots year after year
Pick responsibly
Before you pick
- Ask the landowner; picking is banned on many nature reserves and SSSIs
- Take a little, leave most — and leave the small ones
- Cut at the base and brush clean in the wood; carry them in a basket, not a plastic bag
- Never eat any wild mushroom raw
Cook
Forager's kit
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Editor's choice
Folding mushroom knife with brush
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Best overall
UK & Europe mushroom field guide (photographic)
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