For sheer unadulterated excellent food look no further than this recipe. The use of wild mushrooms gives it a richness and texture that you simply do not even come close to with standard mushrooms. This really is a wonderful dish and deserves to be saved for a special treat: perhaps to celebrate the mushroom harvest!

This recipe serves 4-6 (4 usually because it tastes so good).

For the pastry: 100 gms of flour, wholemeal is best, but white flour (plain) will be fine

50 gms of butter, pinch of salt and cold water. Add the salt to the flour. Rub the flour into the butter, until it looks like breadcrumbs. Then add a little cold water and stir. Keep adding water until the mixture looks like dough. Then roll out the dough using a wooden rolling pin, until it is about half a centimetre thick. Line a 9” or 23 cm quiche dish or flan dish using the pastry.

For the quiche you will need: 50 g (2 oz) butter

1 small onion finely chopped

500 g or 1 lb of wild mushrooms, such as chanterelles, porcini or shiitake

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon of chopped parsley (either flat leaf or standard)

A handful of coriander, shredded, not chopped

150 ml or 5 fl oz of single cream

3 free range eggs, size large

50 g or 2 oz of Cheddar cheese

A dash of brandy

A grating of nutmeg 

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions. Fry them for 5 minutes over a low heat, until they are translucent. Then add the mushrooms, keep the heat low and fry for a further five minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and in a separate bowl, mix the cream, eggs, coriander and parsley. When the mushrooms have cooled slightly, then stir in the mushrooms and onions. At this stage

Add in the brandy to taste. Then pour the mixture into the flan dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the quiche. Using a very fine grater, grate a little nutmeg, to taste, then place into a preheated oven (200º C or 400º F,Gas Mark 6) and bake for around 40 minutes, or until golden brown. The filling should also be quite firm. If the filling is not firm the texture and the taste is affected, so be patient! 

The quiche is best left in the oven for 10 minutes, with the heat turned off. This gives it a chance to ‘rest’ and it is still warm enough to eat, but somehow it is creamier than if it is eaten straight away.

Serve the quiche with a crisp green salad, with little or no dressing, since too much dressing will detract from the flavour of the mushrooms. Lettuce and rocket work very well with this quiche.

Either red or white wine is suitable for this dish, with either chardonnay or a nice shiraz being suitable, depending on your taste. Bon apetit !