Thinking that the fungi season would be up and running by now, I've been out skulking in the woods with my basket, only to be disappointed. However a mammoth find of sweet chestnuts (Castanea sativa) was an unexpected bonus. I've collected about 3 Kg, which I've stored in a cool, dampish corner to delay the shrivelling process. Historically chestnuts were an important food crop throughout much of southern Europe, having spread westwards from Asia Minor most likely with the Romans. In some places they still are: on Corsica I've sampled chestnut bread, cakes, liqueur and even beer.
I normally don't bother with these in the UK, since mostly they're too small to be worth the effort of scoring and peeling. However this year, they're swollen and plump. I cut a small cross on the curved side with a sharp knife, shove them in an old colander and roast them on the embers of the wood-burning stove for 20 minutes or so. Delicious.
