Popping up like mushrooms

Today we visited Beaulieu-les-Loches for the 'Fil et Bio' exhibition of organic products and fashions. Here we met an old friend - Jim the Mushroom Man, formerly of Leeds Farmers Market and now based in Loches. He and his partner Philippe have 30 hectares of mushroom caves on the south side of Loches. Here they continue Philippe's family tradition of mushroom-growing. They specialise in Japanese mushrooms - Shiitake, Oyster and Eryngii at the moment - and have just secured organic status. As well as Loches market, they sell from their shop at the entrance to the caves at 45 Rue des Lilas. Can you imagine 30 hectares of caves? These former stone quarries date back to the early history of the city of Loches. They offer tours of the caves and plan to have a small cafe and tourist reception.

We'll put some photographs of the caves and the growing mushrooms up here once we've visited but here is a picture of the Eryngii mushrooms growing on their substrate at an organic grower's in Kent.