5 minute read
ETHICAL FARMING... RIGHT ON OUR DOORSTEP
Catherine Robinson talks to local entrepreneur, mushroom farmer Paul Thornton, who has ecological credentials and a vision for the future
“It all started with my grandma Ruth,” says Paul Thornton. “She used to show me how to grow things in her garden. I loved it. That led to me growing oyster mushrooms. In 2001 I built something that looked like it was from Frankenstein’s lab and it worked!”
As often happens though, life got in the way for Paul and he found himself on a career treadmill with no time for hobbies –until lockdown: “While other people were learning to knit or play the piano, I was flooding the kitchen with greenhouse-tents, heaters and humidifiers,” he laughs. “It was a problem-solving exercise! The same species of mushroom, grown in exactly the same conditions from the same mycelium might fruit differently. You have to nurture them – it’s almost maternal. Now, I’m growing oyster mushrooms, shiitake, enoki, shimeji and lion’s mane – to name just a few. Did you know that the lion’s mane are nootropic? They enhance brain function and help with conditions like Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Mushrooms are a good source of fibre and protein too. They’re antioxidant and they reduce cholesterol –especially shiitake.”
Paul, a topographical surveyor by profession, litters his enthusiastic chatter with the scientific jargon of his passion:
“I start with the spores, or the mycelium, which is a fine white filament, and I culture them on agar plates. Then I inoculate a rye bag with the agar and whilst the mycelium is colonising that, I’m sterilising the substrate –bags of soya hulls and oak sawdust – which mimics a woodland. This substrate is then inoculated with colonised rye grain and left in the germination room for up to three months until I move them to the fruiting area, which has the perfect conditions for fruiting.”
Eventually, and with the encouragement of his girlfriend Hayley, Paul rented a lock-up on a local farm and whilst both were still in full time jobs, they began building Wyreside Mushrooms. Progression was slow until June 2022 when everything changed: “I broke my ankle,” Paul explains. “I couldn’t do my surveying job. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.”
After a couple of weeks of immobility, Paul was able to potter around the lock-up on a crutch and it was then that the farm really started to take shape. Paul was able to build the lab and germination room and become compliant with Local Council requirements: “We had to use all our savings,” he admits. “Ideally, we’d like to have 10 acres of woodland too, because species like morel and chanterelle only grow in symbiosis with trees.”
This visionary has bigger dreams than that though: “If we had a vertical farm, with solar panels for electricity and a lake to grow aquaponic crops, we could produce all year round, with almost no environmental impact. Feeding populations like that also frees up land for rewilding and helps to reverse climate change.”
Paul is now a full-time mushroom farmer and in 2023, Wyreside Mushrooms is recording record sales. He has applied for organic accreditation and set up a delivery service around Garstang: “Our next step is mushrooms by post,” he says. “Our website is under construction and we’ll soon be posting all over the UK.”
Wyreside Mushrooms currently supplies local shops and restaurants: “But we’ll sell our mushrooms to anyone who wants them!” Paul laughs. “Just give us a ring or contact us through our Facebook page.”
Wyreside Mushrooms
07398 465750
FACEBOOK: WyresideMushrooms
FRIED OYSTER MUSHROOMS
150g oyster mushrooms
11/2 cups plain flour
11/2 tsp paprika
11/2 tsp garlic powder
11/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
tsp salt
Pepper to taste
Mix the flour and all the spices together in a large bowl.
In a second bowl, add 1/3 cup of the flour mixture with 3 /4 cups of water. Whisk to a smooth batter.
Dip each mushroom into the mixture then into the flour mixture. Repeat a few times.
Heat some oil to a high temperature and carefully drop the mushrooms into the oil one at a time. Fry for a few minutes until golden on all sides. Place on a paper towel to remove excess oil, then on a cooling rack until the rest are done. Enjoy with your favourite dipping sauce!
