A lilac-tinged cap and gill mushroom of autumn leaf litter, with a perfumed flavour and a long British folk tradition.
Where it grows
Wood blewits fruit from late autumn through to the first hard frosts of winter, sometimes pushing into December. They are saprotrophs of leaf litter, compost, and well-rotted bark — they will appear cheerfully on a garden compost heap.
How to recognise it
At their freshest, every part of the mushroom carries a violet tint — cap, gills, stem, and flesh. The cap surface is smooth and slightly greasy; the gills are crowded and the stem is fibrous and the same colour as the cap. With age the violet fades to buff. The smell is strongly fruity, sometimes described as orange juice.
Edibility & cautions
A choice edible, but always cook thoroughly — raw or undercooked blewits can cause stomach upset. A small minority of people are allergic; try a small portion the first time. The lilac-coloured Cortinarius species (some toxic) have rusty-brown spores and a cobwebby veil; blewits have a pinkish-buff spore print and no veil.
Culinary use
Cook in butter with shallots and cream; pairs beautifully with chicken or pheasant.
Find more mushrooms by letter
Wood Blewit starts with W and ends with T. Browse other mushrooms along the same letter.
Mushrooms that contain a letter from "Wood Blewit":