I must admit to having a soft spot for mushroom growers ever since my first assignment as a cub reporter. I boarded a river cruiser in London and with other members of the media was floated down to Dartford, courtesy of the Mushroom Growers’ Association, to see my first farm.

That was back in 1960 when the market was almost entirely supplied by the British and there was a demand for more baby buttons rather than a reliance purely on cups and flats. Thirty years or so later, the Union Jack still flew, but “breakfast mushrooms” were being rediscovered and there was talk of the range extending with chestnuts and varieties such as oyster and shiitake.

The strengthening role of the multiples helped create an even wider offer of shapes, colours and pre-packs and with it came more and more attention.

Eighteen months ago the Warwick University HRI mushroom survey painted a gloomy picture. It hinted at increased competition from Poland, and pointed out that a large proportion of British production was now owned by the Dutch and the Irish. It seemed the aggressive marketing across the North and Irish seas, so often criticised by UK growers in previous decades, had at last paid off.

But despite the traumas which have shaken the industry, it has commendably kept its pr and promotional flag flying high and has, over the span of my career, been not just a credit to horticulture, but a shining example.

So when the invitation arrived from the Mushroom Bureau to attend a major promotional launch, I had more than a passing interest in hearing what it was going to conjure up.

In trade terms, the most significant aspect was that £100,000 required to fund the initiative has been donated on a voluntary basis by all the major suppliers to the UK from across Europe, even though they are in competition.

Admittedly, the mushroom industry is far more interlinked than in years gone by, as a high proportion of our national output has overseas ownership. But it still takes an act of faith to work together and one wonders whether a similar support network might be appropriate for some salad and root crops.

Another significant element, and the main reason for the event, was to add a new dimension to the product to keep sales on the move - namely, its nutritional value. There is no doubt that proving mushrooms are a superfood is a good idea. But they also have to share the spotlight with several other products that have already moved along the same path.

The mushroom’s real unique selling points are still year-round availability and versatility as they can be consumed at virtually every meal-time - even though it took a step change in the national diet to accept a mushroom could be eaten raw in salads.

There are few other fruits or vegetables that can make that claim, which is why with sales of £200 million-plus, mushrooms are no niche market.

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