Dried Porcini, 50g

These high-quality dried Italian porcini are indispensable, allowing you to enjoy the wonderful flavour of these quintessentially Italian mushrooms all year round, long after fresh ones have vanished from the woodland floors.

Soak in water for 30mins, remove mushrooms from the water (don't throw the water away! Filter through some muslin or a coffee filter and you have a rich broth), rinse mushrooms in a sieve under running water, then chop and add to your recipe. Classic recipes that use dried porcini are risotto, creamy pasta sauces and vegetarian lasagne. Mushroom risotto is also an excellent way to use the broth left over from soaking the mushrooms.