Fly agaric. A type of mushroom, the classic red with white spots. Famous for its psychoactive hallucinogenic properties this is the magic mushroom and is actually poisonous to eat.
Man on horseback. A type of pleasant edible mushroom of yellowish colour with which some cases of poisoning have been recorded.
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.
Juicy fruits, preferably cherries, are mixed with vodka and sugar. It then stands for a month before straining.
Slippery Jack mushroom, also known as the sticky bun. Listed as edible but some people do have allergic reactions to it.
Shaggy ink cap. A type of fungus which is edible when young. The cap overhangs so that, rather than the more common round cap, the shaggy ink cap has an elongated ovoid shape. It has shaggy scales which, when young, are white but which become darker with age. As it ages it becomes quite unpleasant to eat and eventually dissolves into a puddle of black liquid, giving it its English name.
