Autumn = earthy mushrooms.

Mushrooms simply sauteed in butter and garlic are wonderful with a brunch fry up or tossed through fresh pasta. Equally simple is baked whole field mushrooms drizzled with olive oil & crumbled feta (even better some Meredith's marinated goats feta). Growing up in the dairy farming heart of South Gippsland ensured that 'mushrooming' expeditions to neighboring paddocks during April and May was a regular occurrence. Although stewed mushrooms thickened with white sauce day after day is not one of my best childhood food memories.

Even better if you have the opportunity head off with an expert into the damp Victorian undergrowth to forage for wild mushrooms. Not a good idea to try this on your own - too many deadly ones masquerading as something luscious!

Autumn is also the time to start cooking up the warming soups again. The pictured broth is a heady combination of Swiss browns & dried Italian porcini's slowly cooked with vegetables, stock, ham hocks and barley. You can find the recipe for this delicious soup in the April addition of Australian Gourmet Traveller in the Autumn mushroom feature. Happy cooking!