Amethyst deceiver

The floor of Burley Old is carpeted in Amethyst Deceivers (Laccaria amethystina), an interesting little edible, not particularly flavoursome though a fun addition to a soup or such if you want to cause a raised eyebrow in those not in the know...little purple mushrooms, not what you expect in your dinner. A word of caution though, although edible and non toxic in themselves, some sources suggest that if there's arsenic in the soil, Deceivers can build up high concentrations of it. So, maybe best avoided...unless you've a soil testing kit to hand.

Amethyst deceiver

The Amethyst deceiver (Laccaria amethystina) a common small woodland mushroom. Edible*, although be aware that it can absorb arsenic from the soil. I don't imagine that to be too much of a problem though, or they'd not be listed as edible. When I've used them there's only be a few to add another colour and texture to a mushroom medley or risotto. As with many of the forest's mushroom communities, there are a lot of them about this year.

*Remember, don't collect anything unless you are 110% certain what you're collecting.

Don't be fooled.

The Amethyst Deceiver (Laccaria amethystina) is a common sight in both broad leaf and coniferous woodlands and can appear in large quantities, though edible, their flavour is slight, although they do look good in a risotto. The laccaria family is large and the Amethyst Deceiver gets its 'deciever' label as when it weathers it looses its distinct colour making it harder to identify.  Edible yeah (I've eaten them countless times) though one cautionary note, apparently it can bio-accumulate arsenic.