Fashionable funghi fit for mane course?

LION'S Mane mushrooms are set to be the next big gourmet must-have, as growers report a boom in demand for the exotic ingredient.

- By Jaymi McCann

The funghi, which has a unique fluffy white look, is already hugely popular as a health supplement in powder form, a category which has grown more than 1,300% in a year.

John Dorrian, of Smithy Mushrooms, in Ormskirk, Lancashire, which has supplied Tesco for more than 30 years, said he is seeing a huge increase in demand and opened a second growing site two years ago to double capacity.