Mushrooms – for reasons we’ve yet to fathom – are often sold in plastic tubs and covered with plastic film. Trapping humid air in with the fruits (yes, a mushroom is technically the fruit of the plant) speeds up their decay; if you want to preserve them for longer, as soon as you get them home, transfer them to a paper bag and keep them in the fridge. Because they can ‘breathe’, they’ll stay fresher for far longer and not come out looking like they’ve been sitting in a sauna for a week!

While on the subject, the best way to clean mushrooms is to gently brush any dirt off with a cloth rather than wash them: because mushrooms soak up water quite easily, giving them a rinse will add significantly to their water content. If they’re destined for a stew that means they’re less able to soak up the juices and so the flavours won’t develop anything like as well; if you’re cooking them in butter then the extra water content will mean they spend more time boiling rather than gently frying.