Bundled in sweaters and toting the picnic basket and a thermos of soup, we'd pile into our Zephyr (a pink one with big tailfins) and head off to go "mushrooming". One of my sweetest childhood memories!

Ingredients

• 12-16 field mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed to a paste
• ¾ cup cream

Parsley crumble

• 4 slices white bread
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Wipe the mushrooms if necessary. Peel away the outer layer from the top of the mushroom, if you wish.
2. Heat the butter in a large frying pan and add the garlic. Place the mushrooms stalk uppermost into the pan (you may need two pans, depending on the size of the mushrooms), and cover.
3. Cook over a moderate heat so that the mushrooms brown without burning. Cook for about 5 minutes and then lift the lid. The smell should be magnificient. Increase the temperature and then pour in the cream. It should bubble instantly and lift all the flavoured sediment from the pan into the sauce. Simmer one minute, sprinkle with the parsley crumble and serve hot from the pan.

Parsley crumble

1. Crumble the bread slices (by hand or in a food processor).
2. Heat the butter in a frying pan and cook the crumbs in the butter until golden and crisp. Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the parsley and season with pepper.