False chanterelle. As its name implies, this masquerades as a chanterelle but, instead of the egg yellow of the chanterelle, this is a darker orange and sometimes with a graded cap, dark at the centre and becoming lighter towards the edges. The false chanterelle is found in woodland, particularly under pines. It is edible, but is rather bitter and tough and may cause indigestion. It is easily confused with other mushrooms which are poisonous, so especial care must be taken.
The blusher. The one problem with this mushroom is that, whilst edible itself, it closely resembles others that are poisonous, including the death cap. It must be cooked as it contains a toxin which is destroyed by heat, like kidney beans. The most identifiable thing about it is that this reddish brown mushroom with pinkish grey scales and a white stem colours pink to red at sites of damage or bruising. The gills and flesh are white, also becoming red or pink on bruising. It is most commonly found in beech woods in summer to late autumn (US: fall). Also look closely at the ring on the stem. This should have lots of fine grooves on its upper side, unlike another poisonous mushroom which it closely resembles, the panther cap.
Pink pepper. This may either be the familiar rose-coloured peppercorn of Piper nigrum, usually preserved in brine or vinegar. It may also refer to the dried berry of a Brazilian plant related to poison ivy. This contains cardanol, which is an irritant to many people and it makes little contribution to cooking anyway.
Greencracked brittlegill. A variety of wild mushroom which, as its name implies, is a sort of olive green with darker green markings and with creamy brittle gills. Most brittlegills resemble other ones that are inedible and some will cause gastric problems. You can normally detect what type it is by the flavour. A tiny tasting will immediately reveal whether or not it is edible, but it is worth spitting it out immediately if you detect a bitter taste.
