St George's Mushroom 'Calocybe gambosa'

St Georges mushrooms 'Calocybe gambosa'

So called because it usually arrives around the 23rd of April which is St Georges Day in England, and is around through May and early June.
My usual spots have been slow to produce this year and first finds for me were on the 2nd of May a cool end to April and drier conditions may have been the reason.
The French  use  a 'nom usuel' -common name, Mousserons, they are a good edible mushroom and a delightful start to the season.

What to observe.
The cap, normally off white, convex flattening,with age from button to 9cm.
The gills, narrow and crowded, ranging in colour from white to grey.
Spores, white
Flesh, firm
Habitat, beech, oak and surrounding grassland sometimes in ring or trooping.
The stem/stalk, stout and narrows slightly towards the cap.
The smell, 'mealy' is the term that's used to describe the aroma, which is a  wet floury smell.

Eating them.
Good to go after brushig off and dirt and giving them a quick wash, then slicing them and frying in butter with a little chopped wild garlic or garlic 'leaves' from the garden, season with salt and pepper serve on sourdough toast.

St Georges mushrooms pan-fried with garlic butter on sour-dough'