It’s time for wild mushroom foraging, in the case of Tom Doorley, incursions — hopeful that his keen eyes and sense of smell will guide him to a bounty of terrifically flavoured, chewy and edible fungusThere is something of the night about them. Wild mushrooms have a sinister reputation, one that is not entirely deserved. Apart from the increasingly rare field mushrooms (Agaricus campestris) which are still loved by older country people, there is not much fun with the fungus in Ireland. An elderly neighbour, who loves field mushrooms fried with rashers, told me, when I asked if he liked the highly-prized giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea) growing in the same field, “I wouldn’t eat a horse’s fart”! Toxic servingI rarely serve wild mushrooms to guests, on account of the look of terror that creeps across the features of most people when they are told that what’s on their plate is (a) wild, (b) mushrooms and (c) has not been bought in Fallon & Byrne.