Andrew Middlebrook, the chairman of the Mushroom Bureau, said: "Mushrooms are healthy, tasty and fantastic value for money. They are endlessly versatile - sliced onto a pizza, added to spaghetti bolognaise, stuffed with cheese or mixed into sauces... It’s no wonder mushrooms are loved the world over by people of all ages.
"We Britons spend £304.3 million on mushrooms, eating our way through an incredible 113,804 tonnes a year. A whopping 88 per cent of this is made up of the white mushroom, also known as Agaricus bisporus. So it’s not surprising that a new NOP survey revealed that 72 per cent of UK consumers enjoy eating mushrooms, with over a third stating that they are one of their favourite vegetables.
"For thousands of years, Eastern cultures have revered mushrooms as both food and medicine. Tradition has it that there are more than 50 species with healing properties. When used as medicine, mushrooms are made into soup or tea, or taken as a tonic or elixir. In 2006 a published report 'Mushrooms – The New Superfood' revealed that mushrooms are one of the highest antioxidant vegetables in the world, in the same league as red capsicum and spinach and they were elevated to superfood status.
"Mushrooms have been traditionally used in stews and casseroles, but the increasing usage of mushrooms in salads, on the barbecue and in stir fries is turning them into a real summer ingredient!
"I hope you enjoy exploring the website and trying out the delicious range of recipes."