Mushrooms are not a new vegetable. People have been eating mushrooms for centuries. The Pharaohs thought they were food from heaven; the Romans enjoyed them and from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, they were a feast.

The first written accounts of how to grow cultivated mushrooms date from around 1650. Mushroom growing originated in France where they were grown in caves. Today, mushrooms are grown in dark houses on mushroom farms throughout Britain.

Follow the presentations below to be taken through the stages of mushroom growing:

Stage 1 - Composting

Stage 2 - Pasteurisation

Stage 3 - Spawning

Stage 4 - Growing

Stage 5 - Cropping

Stage 6 - End of Harvest