Slow cooking
Wild Mushroom & Barley Broth
A deep, woodsy one-pot broth for the mushroom basket: porcini, pearl barley, root vegetables and thyme.
14 October 2026 7 min read Serves 4
Foraging notes
Identified edible mushrooms only, checked by an experienced forager. Dried porcini deepen the broth.
A broth is the friendliest way to cook a mixed basket: long simmering suits most woodland mushrooms.
If you are new to fungi, buy dried porcini and add just one or two fresh kinds you can name with certainty.
Best months
Ingredients
- 400g mixed edible mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 20g dried porcini, soaked in 200ml hot water
- 100g pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1.2L vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (optional)
Method
Build the base
Soften the onion, carrot and celery in a little oil for 10 minutes, then add the fresh mushrooms and fry until they start to take colour.
Add barley and stock
Stir in the barley, thyme, stock, the soaking liquor and the chopped porcini. Bring to a boil.
Simmer
Cook gently for 45 minutes until the barley is tender and the broth is deep and dark. Season, add soy sauce if you like.
Kitchen tip: Never eat a mushroom you cannot identify with certainty. Go out with a local expert before you cook anything wild.
