Voice Magazines - Kirkby-in-Ashfield & Annesley Edition - October 2023

SCARPA TERRA GORE-TEX

Women’s walking boot

KEEN TARGHEE III

Waterproof Men’s hiking boots

THE MIDLANDS LARGEST STOCKIST OF HIKING FOOTWEAR

FACTORY SHOP

Rock Fall UK, Wimsey Way

Tr. Est, Somercotes DE55 4LS

MON-FRI 08:00-16:30

SAT 08:00-14:00

From the Editor

Dear Readers,

Tragedy has struck this month!

I’m not one to be dramatic and on the whole I don’t like to make a fuss, so

I’ve soldiered on with very little complaint but my right index finger has been broken readers!! It was a netball incident whilst going for a ball that was clearly mine and someone slammed their palm into my index finger causing it to buckle and implode (or chip, you decide!) at the knuckle bone. Suffice to say, I knew something bad had happened instantly and after chasing down some ice and some strapping, I finished the game (rather epically tbh, that adrenaline stuff is absolutely splendid in such circumstances!). Anyway, what hasn’t been splendid thereafter has been the lack of ability to use my right hand properly. It’s quite problematic in certain circumstances, losing the primary digit on the dominant hand, if you think about it….. typing, stirring coffee, cutting food up, picking up items… and other functional tasks. Throw in that I’ve not been able to do any exercise for 3 weeks and it has not made for a very pleasant month for Mr Liam and all those around me!! In typical form, I’ve been pushing as hard as I can to at least get back to Hockey asap. The Physio said that, as it’s a break, anything that involves a clenched

fist is fine after 3 weeks and as long as it feels alright to do so. Anyway, tested out the hockey stick on week 2 and all is well! Let’s see how long I can hold out for my beloved Netball!!

In other news, I’m sorry to be the one (although, if you’ve been into Tesco at Alfreton recently, they started it!) but we’ve started planning for Christmas, so now is the time to contact us if you want to promote something special for Christmas, shout about an event you are holding, wish your clients a lovely festive holiday time or feature in our High Street special if you are a retailer. We have all had a tough time since 2020 and every year, I like to bang the ‘Shop Local’ drum. Small businesses can’t survive without your help and as much as I love a generic national brand winter spiced pumpkin latte –with their billions of pounds of profits, they find it much easier to survive and thrive than the rest of us little fellas, so do us a solid and help out where you can this year – it is appreciated.

Happy Reading

The Ghost of our Celtic Past

All Hallow’s Eve. All Saint’s Eve. Samhain.

The original Celtic celebration, Samhain (pronounced sow-ain) actually marked the end of one year and the transition to the next. The move from the abundance of summer and the harvest into the scarcity and cold of winter. Celts associated winter with death and believed the shift to the new year caused the veil between this world and the next to thin, allowing the spirits of the ancestors to visit.

As so often happens, a new religion, Christianity, absorbed and subsumed the old celebration.

And yet the old beliefs still linger, only now they are remembered in an orgy of “candy” consumption. Sweet stuff obtained by knocking on stranger’s doors and demanding it on pain of suffering “a trick” if the desired sticky treats are not forthcoming!

The idea that dead ancestors will come a calling, is relegated to dressing up as ghouls and ghosts.

To face painting and costume wearing. Honestly, our Celtic antecedents must be spinning in their graves. Imagine if the most sacred date in the Christian calendar was reduced to straight out consumerism and consumption.

Oh, hang on…

Of course Halloween is not just a British thingall though the way we do it now is definitely more North American than homegrown - the day, and those following are marked around the world. None more so than in Mexico with the famous Día de los Muertos (day of the dead).

Día de los Muertos is actually celebrated on November 2, but begins the day we designate as Halloween. The celebration is designed to honour the dead who, it is believed, return to their earthly homes on October 31. Then on November 2, relatives gather at gravesides to picnic and reminisce. Some gatherings even include tequila and a mariachi band…sounds fun.

We can blame our American cousins for the commercialism of Halloween. As a melting pot of many ethnicities, the traditions of different cultures were assimilated into a wholly unique way to mark the thinning of the veils.

An old English tradition of giving pastries called “soul cakes” to beggars in return for promises to pray for the dead of the donors, probably transmuted to “trick or treat”. Although there could also be links to “Mischief Night” which occurs around the same time as Halloween.

Dressing in outlandish “spooky” costumes may derive from the custom of wearing masks to confuse any visiting dead who decide to pop through from the other side.

Whatever the origins of the “customs” we now see being played out at Halloween, the overriding theme seems to be “spend money”. Buy sweets (I refuse to type candy again!), buy the kids costumes, buy decorations for your house, place of work…buy, buy, buy.

I shall, as usual, turn out the lights and keep the front door shut. Trick or treaters won’t be able to blame dental decay on me!

The night when, allegedly, the “veils” between the living and the dead are at their thinnest.

Struggling with your feet?

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Sports

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YOU CAN MERGE SQUARES TOGETHER AND ALL YOU PAY FOR IS THE SQUARES THAT YOU USE

Book Review

SJ Parris’s Giordano Bruno books can become a bit of an addiction. They’re classy historical thrillers set in a period of immense global upheaval. This is the period of Elizabeth 1, religious wars, huge power struggles, treachery, intrigue and murders.

In the latest in the series - Alchemy - our urbane intellectual investigator Bruno is commissioned to dive beneath the surface of the dangerous political waters of early 1500s Prague. Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf the second is a man of science – not unlike Bruno himself, but unlike Bruno he is in thrall to power – the power of alchemy, turning base metal into gold and the search for the secret of eternal life.

These were dangerous interests to have at that time – the Catholic Church was very jealous of its control over huge swathes of Europe and as was shown by the Spanish Inquisition, willing to go to any lengths to protect that power. Science and alternative ways of thinking were not allowed.

Rudolf – and Bruno – and anyone else who gets in the way of the church, is effectively the enemy.

The twists and turns are delicious – as soon as you start to think the plot is unravelling in one direction, it’s off full at canter in another direction. And threaded through it all is considerable historical research, both of the times – as with the experience of the Jewish community in Prague at that time and with the plight of poor people. Rudolf was a real person, as indeed was Bruno, (in real life a philosopher and poet.) And though there’s no evidence he ever turned detective, there’s nowt wrong with a bit of dramatic licence.

The characters are fully drawn and there’s no shortage of wry humour. And if you like Signor Bruno there are another six books to go at.

SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND PEOPLE

The Enterprising Ashfield project offers FREE training and support for individuals and business who live or work in the Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield Towns Fund area.

Free skills courses to boost your CV.

Growth grants to help new business and sole traders.

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Support to hire apprentice and graduate talent.

Bespoke courses for businesses to plug skills gaps

Find out more at ntu.ac.uk/enterprisingashfield

Find us on Facebook @‌enterprisingashfield

Contact us at enterprisingashfield@ntu.ac.uk or call 0115 848 2813

I just wanted to thank you once again for the start up grant and support. My company is now live for business, and it wouldn’t be possible without your help.

I wanted to do this course to learn something new and enhance my CV. I now have skills in photo and video editing, photoshop and email marketing. It was really good to meet new people.

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Relocation of an Established Business: A New Chapter for

D.M. FURNISHINGS

For the past eight years, D.M. Furnishings has been an integral part of the vibrant Sutton-in-Ashfield high street community. As a local enterprise deeply rooted in the area, owner Darren has not only served the town but has also become synonymous with quality and reliability. Now, with an eye on expanding horizons, this cherished family venture is embarking on an exciting journey from Low Street to a more prominent spot on Outram Street.

Darren's connection to Sutton-in-Ashfield runs deep, and his commitment to supporting the local high street is unwavering. This commitment has been the driving force behind the decision to relocate the business, setting up shop in a spacious, two-level store. The move provides an opportunity to exhibit an even more extensive array of products, showcasing D.M. Furnishings' diverse range to its full potential. The story of D.M. Furnishings goes beyond its time on the high street. Prior to this venture, Darren successfully ran his own furniture manufacturing and reupholstering factory. With over two decades of experience in the industry, Darren's expertise is the cornerstone of the business's reputation for quality and craftsmanship.

Central to D.M. Furnishings' ethos is the dedication to exceptional customer service. Darren goes the extra mile to ensure that each customer's experience is personalised and hassle-free. Before finalising any sale, he personally visits the customer's residence to assess the available space and the property's access points. This meticulous approach prevents the all-too-common disappointment of purchasing furniture that doesn't quite fit the intended space.

D.M. Furnishings also offer a wide variety of bespoke products including sofas, chairs, and recliners. The allure lies not only in the diversity of products but also in the ability to tailor each piece to your precise measurements. With a vast selection of fabrics, customers can truly imbue their individual style into every piece they choose. As a testament to their commitment to customer convenience, D.M. Furnishings also provides a home delivery service for all products.

9-11 Outram Street, Sutton- in- Ashfield, Notts, NG17 4BA (Next door to Wilko’s and with Asda car park directly behind us)

YOUR LOCAL RISE AND RECLINER

Made to measure to suit your individual needs.

Made to order in 2-6 weeks.

Matching Sofas & Chairs also available.

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Slimming World Recipe Prawn

Stir Fry

Stir frys are such an easy win. Quick to prep and cook, loads of flavour and packed full of healthy ingredients. Perfect for a family feast!

Method:

1. Mix together the cornflour, garlic, ginger, chilli sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweetener, tomato purée and stock in a small bowl.

2. Spray a deep non-stick frying pan or wok with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a high heat. When hot, add the onions, peppers and 2 tbsp water and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Add the green beans and stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until all the vegetables are just tender.

3. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the pack instructions and drain well.

4. Add the prawns and bamboo shoots to the vegetables and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, then add the noodles and the chilli sauce mixture and toss well. Simmer for 1 minute, or until the sauce has thickened.

5. Divide between 4 bowls and serve piping hot.

For more information visit www.slimmingworld.co.uk

Ingredients:

• 2 level tsp cornflour

• 1 tsp chopped garlic in vinegar from a jar, drained

• 1 tbsp chopped ginger in vinegar from a jar, drained

• 1 level tbsp hot chilli sauce, such as sriracha

• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce

• Pinch of sweetener granules

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 100ml boiling chicken stock

Serves: 4 Ready in: 20 mins

Tailoredblinds&curtains

FREEHOMESURVEY&QUOTATION

Chooseyournewblinds&curtainsfromthecomfortof yourownhomewithourfreehomesurveyorvisit ourshowroom(Just2minsfromIKEA)

• Low-calorie cooking spray

• 200g frozen sliced red onions

• 300g frozen mixed sliced peppers

• 200g frozen green beans

• 250g dried egg noodles

• 400g frozen cooked and peeled prawns, thawed

• 225g can sliced bamboo shoots, drained

Syns per serving: 0.5

#39

devised by the brilliant Professor Rebus. For more of his puzzles visit www.pitcherwits.co.uk

Flake’ s Favourites

Re-walking Rafa’s Rambles

So we agonised over the new title. There were some great suggestions but we felt this way we could give a nod to Rafa, who walked the length and breadth of the local area for around 14 years, checking out the best walks, before putting his paws up. Rafa is still (slowly) wandering around his favourite parks and fields but the big walks are beyond him these days This month Flakey has re-rambled a walk we first featured in May 2018. It’s a great walk, with some lovely views, woods to explore and quiet country lanes. Perfect for a sunday stroll with your furry friend

6.5-MILE CIRCULAR WALK FROM THE CARRS PARK

A mid-distance walk which should take you and your dog around 2.5 - 3 hours to complete. The walk is mostly on trails and paths but there are a few short stretches of road so please take care. There may be some uneven and muddy terrain, so please wear appropriate footwear and as always, please follow the countryside code.

START: THE CARRS PARK, CHURCH ROAD PARKING, CHURCH ROAD, CHURCH WARSOP. NG20 0SF

1. Head back through car park entrance and turn left along the main road for a short distance, then turn right onto a main road signposted for ‘Meden Vale’. Continue along this road for some distance and then take the first right into ‘Manor Court’.

2. Continue to walk to the very end of this road and continue straight ahead onto a tarmac footpath threading between the houses. Follow the tarmac path around the back of the houses to pass through

a large wooden gate and turn right along a road.

3. Continue until reaching a T-junction of roads. Turn right and then continue straight ahead to cross over a river bridge. Shortly after, at a T junction, turn left to continue along a single-track road. Pass a farm on your right and then continue for some distance until reaching a gated single-track road on your right.

Don’t forget to mention Voice Magazines when responding to the Ads

4. Turn right to pass by the large metal gate and continue uphill. At the top of the hill pass over a railway bridge and then continue straight ahead. Eventually the road turns into a bumpy lane.

5. As you continue along the lane you will pass by a water treatment plant with a chain link fence on your left. When the fence on your left comes to an end, bear left and downhill to continue along the lane. Continue to the bottom of the hill and then begin to gently climb for some distance before reaching a crossroads of lanes.

6. Continue straight ahead keeping a hedge on your left and open fields on your right. Eventually the lane narrows into a footpath and begins to drop downhill towards some trees. Continue straight ahead into the trees passing through some metal posts and then ignoring a footpath to your right continue ahead keeping trees on your right and open views to your left.

7. Continue for some distance and then pass by a signposted bridleway on your left. Continue straight ahead going downhill until reaching the bottom of the hill and a signposted crossroads of footpaths. Turn right going gently uphill along a tarmac path and continue straight ahead for a long distance until reaching a track on your left.

8. At this point, ignore the track on your left and continue a little further to a yellow marker post and a track on your right. Turn right along the track and after a very short distance curl around to the left. Continue along the track for quite some distance and then ignore a track on your left to continue straight ahead.

9. After some distance ignore a signposted footpath directly ahead of you and bear around to the right to continue along the track going downhill. At the bottom of the hill at a junction of paths, bear right, then immediately left to take a small footpath going into the woods.

10. Continue for some distance and at a crossroads of footpaths continue straight ahead along a footpath with trees on your right and open views to your left. Continue until reaching a T-junction of paths with open views directly in front of you. Turn right and then after a very short distance turn left to continue along a farm track with a hedge on your right.

11. Continue along the farm track with a hedge on your right for a long distance. Prior to reaching a rail bridge directly in front of you and at a signposted footpath on your right, turn sharp left

to continue along a signposted bridleway and farm track with a hedge on both sides. After a short distance continue ahead going uphill with a hedge on your right and open views to your left.

12. At the top of the hill the track narrows down into a footpath with a hedge on both sides. Continue straight ahead until dropping into a dip and then turn right along a footpath going gently downhill. After some distance pass underneath a rail bridge and eventually reach a road. Cross straight over the road to continue along a narrow lane.

13. After a short distance you will reach a road. Continue straight ahead to go downhill along Sandy Lane. At the bottom of the hill, at a T-junction of roads, turn left and continue for a short distance and then turn right along Hetts Lane.

14. Continue straight ahead to a T-junction with a main road. Cross straight over the main road to continue straight ahead along a wide tarmac footpath with a wall on your left and a fence on your right. After a short distance continue straight ahead to cross over a river bridge. Immediately after crossing the bridge turn right to follow footpath with the river on your right.

15. Continue to wind along the footpath with the river on your right until reaching the car park and starting point..

purposes only. Voice Magazines Ltd takes no responsibility for anyone who chooses to follow this route and encourages all walkers to obey all byelaws and signs and to respect the area they are walking in, ensuring they pick up all dog mess and obey the countryside code at all times.

FESTIVE GIFT FAIR AT THE NEC - BIRMINGHAM

Thursday 16th – Sunday 19th November 2023

THE BIGGEST AND MOST LIVELY INDOOR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING FAIR IN THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY IS BACK! .... FABULOUS BARGAINS, GREAT MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT AND SO MUCH CHOICE!

Be inspired and get your festive preparations off to a flying start at the ever-popular 4-day FESTIVE GIFT FAIR this November. Now in its 27th fabulous year, it remains one of the most popular Christmas Shopping events in the UK for a good reason!

The Fair will be bursting at the seams with a colourful, eclectic mix of unusual stocking fillers and presents, festive food and drink and great Christmas decorations for your home and garden. 325+ stalls all in one hall …. with clever gift ideas for all ages and tastes … and lots of Special Show Offers!

The festive atmosphere is always fantastic! While browsing the stalls, let the music get you into that Christmassy mood and enjoy being entertained by the Grinch … up to his usual menacing antics, Father Christmas with his amazing sleigh, a whole variety of Christmas harmonies by our live musicians and jazz stilt walkers who will be legging it up the aisles!

Join

Make sure you visit the popular Festive Food & Drink area where you’ll find tempting stalls selling everything from cheese to chutneys, spices to spirits, puddings to preserves, chocolates to champagne, beers to brownies and hampers to hog roasts!

GREAT VALUE! - Advance adult tickets from just £7 (plus transaction fee)

Take advantage of the SPECIAL TICKET OFFER – ‘Buy 3 and get 1 FREE’ on advance Thursday/Friday adult full day tickets.

The FESTIVE GIFT FAIR is open daily 09.30 – 17.00

Thursday 16th – Sunday 19th November at NEC, Birmingham.

For list of stallholders, entertainment programme and visitor information, please visit www.festivegiftfair.co.uk

Competition Time!

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, simply locate the three Christmas symbols in the magazine and email the page numbers that they are on to: community@voicemagazines.co.uk – with the headline NEC tickets. All submissions to be in by 31st October 2023

From supply only to full installation we offer the full package. Our experienced and knowledgeable design teams are here for you, offering a full, free of charge planning and design service. If you’re after a bathroom or kitchen we are serious about creating the best design possible to suit your budget.

Guess the words and Fill in the crossword ! Pitcherwits®

Pitcherwits® are crossword puzzles where some of the clues are in pictures. Sound easy? It’s not called “Pit-your-wits” for nothing! The mixture of cryptic and picture clues, combined with Professor Rebus’ unique sense of humour, will keep you entertained for hours.

Across

5 Only Newton could produce such material (5)

7 Sonar detection of fire-raising (5)

11 Have some bearing for the listener (3)

12 A test of your income from drawing pins, say? (3)

16 Open more than the junction (5)

17 Fraudulently make the smithy (5)

Down

2 Oz lager sounds a bit thin (5)

3 William Butler, as yet unplaced (5)

10 Accomplices in the theft of ‘diamonds’ (3)

14 Ridiculously opulent, but not on stopping (3-2)

15 Attempt to choose (2,3)

This puzzles has been devised by the brilliant Professor Rebus. For more of his puzzles visit www.pitcherwits.co.uk

THE LITTLE RED HEN HOUSE NORTHUMBERLAND

STUNNING HOLIDAY COTTAGE IN WARKWORTH, NORTHUMBERLAND

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✽ 2 spacious en-suite bedrooms

✽ A fully enclosed garden

✽ 2 small to medium dogs welcome (3 upon request)

✽ Fully equipped kitchen, including an American style fridge freezer

✽ Perfect for exploring the stunning Northumbrian Heritage Coastline

✽ Close to a range of dog friendly pubs, cafes and restaurants in stunning Warworth

✽ We have fast fibre Wi-Fi and smart TV’s

Search ‘The Little Red Hen House’ at:

please call 01773 549 035

*SALE* PRICES REDUCED ON 2023 BOOKINGS! *SALE*

HERITAGE OF KIRKBY & ANNESLEY

GHOST’S ARE NOT JUST FOR HALLOWEEN

Ghost Stories – we all love to hear them. Yet we all can use our own abilities with or without knowing it to see those things around us that are ever-present, its just we have to learn to understand them.

Sites of tragedy, accidents, suicides’ hold the story, then it’s forgotten until local history research may uncover the facts, then the memories of the Ghost are recalled.

When St Wilfrids in Kirkby was under repair, the Rectory was seen over the wall. It’s a private house and for many years was the home of the Vicar. Kirkby in Ashfield was quite important and Sir Richard Kaye was there from 1765 to 1810. Samuel Grimm an artist, recorded the views, pre 1907 when the church was destroyed by fire and later rebuilt.

In the 1920’s a young girl working in the Rectory heard noises and saw a white mist in the attics where the servants slept. The daughter of the house was not worried as this was not rare, many years earlier a Butler passed away in the house.

Kirkby Woodhouse is across a valley from St Wilfrids, and during a walk crossing Mill Lane, viewing the Old Chapel situated on Chapel Bank. Renovated after a fire, 2 homes were built inside the shell of a building. Remains of supposed Monks were found in graves on this land in the early 1900’s. Mill Lane

led to Fryers Mill where a large Mill Pond kept the Mill working. Subsidence caused its loss but as with any Mill Pond there were sightings over time. Perhaps the story of a small boy in a blue light walking down Mill Lane from the Bentinck Pit site could be one of them. He was dressed in older clothing, perhaps he was a victim of the many pit accidents in the area.

Annesley Old Church at the side of the Hall, is now a ruin but listed grade one for the tower. Open to the public, visitors can walk around the church site and sit on the benches. There used to be a ghost walk around the hall and grounds, with tales of the Monks walking up from Felley Priory. The Annesley, Chaworths and Chaworth- Musters family attending baptisms, Weddings and Burials, some of the older memorials are still to be read.

Looking into local history for a while, there are lots of stories to be recorded, perhaps you have one from your family?

Annesley Old Church

Under the bridge on Mill Lane

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Unit F2, Concept 360, Chadburn House, Weighbridge Road, Mansfield. NG18 1AH

REMEMBER, REMEMBER…

Bonfire Night - a uniquely British thing.

But the reason it exists in the first place, namely, someone failed at something! Only us Brits, with our love of understatement and inability to shout about success, would decide to celebrate an abject failure. Of course, there is an underlying reason we mark 5 November every year, and have done since 1605, and that is, the “Observance of 5th November Act 1606”, mandated an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot’s failure.

I bet you didn’t know that - I certainly didn’t. We joke these days that destroying the Houses of Parliament would be a blessing, what we really mean is that bumping off a load of politicians we don’t agree with wouldn’t be a bad thing. Now I’m not inciting random acts of assassination, truly I’m not, but I think you get the picture!

Back in 1605 however the notorious Gun Powder plotters were less concerned about a bunch of MPs and rather more focused on returning Britain to a Catholic state. In other words, turning back the clock to before King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and embraced Protestantism in order to divorce his first wife.

They decided the best way to do this would be to get rid of the protestant King James I, his nearest relatives, and members of the Privy Council, at the State Opening of Parliament. Senior judges of the English legal system, most of the Protestant aristocracy, and the bishops of the Church of England would all have attended in their capacity as members of the House of Lords.

Had the plot succeeded, in one fell swoop the entire ruling class of the country could have been wiped out.

Quite how the plotters then intended to return the country to Catholicism is unclear. Protestantism had been the official religion in England since the Act of Uniformity was passed in 1559. One thought was that Elizabeth, King James’s daughter was to be kidnapped and then installed on the throne as a Catholic Queen (her mother was Catholic). Needless to say, the role would have been purely titular.

Sadly, for the conspirators, the plot was revealed to the powers that be in an anonymous letter given to a William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle, on 26 October 1605. A search of the cellar’s underneath parliament was ordered, and poor old Guy Fawkes was discovered guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder.

Fawkes and seven other conspirators were convicted of treason and, far from being burned, were sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. A gruesome demise that we tend to overlook whilst carting a “Guy” to the top of our bonfires!

Fawkes was probably a very junior member of the plotters, only the fact that he was the one found with the gunpowder has immortalised his name. We could instead be celebrating “Everard Digby Day” which doesn’t have quite the same ring!

Not the blazing fires, nor the release of explosive devices in front of a crowd of people. Nope.

Autumnal fungi of woods and pastures

Late summer and into autumn are certainly the seasons for mushrooms and other fungi, and especially the case with rain and periods of higher temperatures too. So, imagine my excitement when I came across what seemed to be a wild ‘horse mushroom’ in an area of old, unimproved wet pasture, and it was the size of a small dinner-plate. Of course, the business end of the fungus is its extensive network of hyphae underground and the ‘mushroom’ is merely the fungal equivalent of a flower. I carefully picked my prize and took it home with me. Now generally speaking, the edible , big ‘mushrooms’ look and smell like those bought from a shop, and the fragrance is very distinctively ‘mushroomy’. Indeed, most of the wild mushrooms of fields and other pastures with a whitish or ivory cap and brown gills underneath, are edible and good to eat. However, with fungi the bottom line is caution and unless you really know what it is then avoid. Each autumn a number of (sometimes knowledgeable) foragers manage to poison themselves and sometimes their families and friends too. Some of the poisonous fungi have horribly potent toxins as suggested by their names such as ‘death cap’, ‘destroying angel’, and ‘panther cap’; and so, these should be avoided at all costs. Nevertheless, as a rule of thumb, the ones which look like ordinary mushrooms and particularly with the dark gills underneath the cap, are good.

There was something not quite right about the specimen I had collected, and the first warning sign was the absence of the typical ‘mushroom’ smell. I also noticed that the stem and later the cap appeared to bruise rather yellow when handled. The gills were brownish but in fact a dull grey brown and not the rich, reddish brown of the field mushrooms and horse mushrooms. I was having doubts and my thoughts turned to a close relative of the edible mushrooms, the so-called ‘Yellow

Stainer’, a species that occurs in late summer and autumn in fields, gardens, and hedgerows. Worryingly, this is edible to a few people but poisonous to most, and whilst not actually deadly is one to avoid.

Just to be sure I cooked the specimen up and whilst it didn’t have the tell-tale iodine, inky smell reported for Yellow Stainer, it didn’t smell especially nice either. Moreover, as it cooked the plate of mushrooms turned a rather unpleasant and ominous yellow. It ended up in the bin! There are many edible mushrooms but only a handful which are unmistakable for something nasty and those are the ones I go for. The Yellow Stainer is the species responsible for most cases of moderate poisoning because it is taken as ordinary field mushroom or horse mushroom –avoid!

Another noticeable species if the ‘Fairy Ring Mushroom’ or Marasmius which again occurs in old or even ancient grassland and some rings are centuries old. Again, this is a species which is edible and delicious, but the problem here, is that certain very similar and related mushrooms which are poisonous often grow in amongst them. So once again if you are not sure then leave well alone!

Professor Ian D. Rotherham, researcher, writer, broadcaster on wildlife and environmental issues in the Peak District and elsewhere, is contactable on ianonthewildside@ukeconet.org. Follow his website www.ukeconet.org, blog www.ianswalkonthewildside.wordpress.com, & Twitter @IanThewildside

Chatsworth fairy ring by Peter Wolstenholm

Yellow Stainer

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Gardener’s Calendar

October is the start of bare root planting. Apples and pears will be far less expensive if planted as roots rather than foliage-bearing trees later in the season.

Currants and gooseberries can also be planted bare root now and bare root roses will be delivered between now and spring. Dig a hole deep and wide enough for each plant or alternatively, if you live in a cold pocket with frequent early frosts, plant into a suitable sized container in good compost and put into a cold frame or greenhouse for the winter then harden off and plant out into the ground in spring.

Wallflowers can go into the ground as bare root plants now to flower in early spring and cowslips can be sown as seeds in trays in a cold frame as they need cold to germinate, while being protected from heavy rain. Ideally, they like to grow in shady wet places.

Top Tip:

Time to think about the outdoor beasties. Hedgehogs are preparing to sleep the winter away so if you think you have them as visitors leave out meat-based cat or dog food and water so they can fatten up. Leave windfalls for the birds. Plant croci and fritillary so there is early nectar for hibernating bumblebees when they emerge in spring.

You’ll be putting your bulbs in now. Daffs and crocuses can still go in, you’re not too late, but leave tulips till October.