Peeling chestnuts - the easy way

Chestnuts turn out to be a lot of work to prepare, and the paucity and vagueness of the advice on the net suggests that very few people actually do it, so following one unseccessful session I had to work out a method for myself.

One telephone call to an ex royal chef and twenty minutes of experimenting later, it's sorted. Cut an X into the top of each chestnut (the end with the little tuft of spikes on), and drop into a shallow panful of simmering water. WEARING RUBBER GLOVES, a minute or two later take two or three out with a slotted spoon. The shell peels down from the top, and if the skin doesn't come with it, it will soon follow with a rub from your gloved fingertip. Don't peel the shell right down to the bottom until you've done all four sides (you don't want it to cool) and then rub any remaining skin off. Any skin caught in the folds can be tweaked out by a helper (non glove-wearing), or with a knife, or rubbed off gently with a toothbrush. If the nut cools down too much and the skin readheres, pop it back into the boiling water for 30 seconds.

The nuts go floury if they're cooked for too long, so about six nuts at a time in the boiling water is about right so you can do two or three batches of peeling.

Still labour intensive, but you get beautifully clean nuts (matron), don't waste so many, or burn your fingers.

Witchypoo wimped out of using the cauliflower fungus I'm afraid, but that bay boletus were lovely!