Trend Watch: Mushrooms

Why are mushrooms hot right now?

Often overlooked, mushrooms are ticking a lot of boxes – healthy, delicious, hugely versatile and with a natural affinity for wellness-led products.

What’s on the market?

Unless your head has been firmly stuck in the sand throughout 2025, you will have seen a plethora of mushroom-led products across bricks and mortar and online shelves – with flavour-packed dried mushrooms from the likes of Foresta sharing space with functional Lion’s Mane-infused drinks such as MUUSH, and coffee/cacao and mushroom blends purported to give you a long-term spring in your step. 

Bianca Boxley of Norfolk Mushroomery explains, “Mushrooms offer a unique intersection of culinary luxury and functional nutrition. They are flavour packed, nutrient rich, potentially therapeutic and incredibly versatile. They’re one of the few foods that satisfy both gourmet tastebuds and health-conscious minds.”

Fan Yang, who launched Other Foods as a result of her unending love of mushrooms, has found that while her crunchy seasoned mushroom snacks were created for fun and flavour, the majority of her customers are seeing them as satisfying – and nutrient-packed – alternatives to conventional potato crisps.

There do seem to be more mushroom varieties in veg displays now, too…

Yes indeed – we’re far from the days of a simple choice between button or chestnut mushrooms. Shiitake, chanterelles and portobello mushrooms are all over menus and are easily accessible for culinary experimentation at home, while Enoki, Oyster and Morels are adding a touch of natural luxury to the proceedings. 

“People are taking a lot more interest in the growing of mushrooms here in the UK and some of them are looking to cultivate mushrooms from wild varieties,” explains Will Thorogood, director of Mushroom Man which is based in New Covent Garden Market. The equipment and knowledge have certainly made growing on a smaller scale much easier and this has led to growers beginning to trial many new and interesting varieties of mushrooms.”

What do they bring to the table?

“Mushrooms have an umami richness, they are naturally high in glutamates giving that savoury flavour that adds depth to any dish, certain varieties like Shiitake, Porcini and Morels are among the prized for their intense flavour,” says Bianca. Hugely versatile, they can be cooked in a myriad of ways to bring out their prized flavour and nutrients.

“I believe [their increased popularity] has a lot to do with a move to people moving to a more vegetarian or vegan diet, either full or part time,” says Will. “Mushrooms are great alternative in a dish to replace some of the flavour, umami and the ‘meaty’ texture that you can lose without meat or fish.”

Tell me more about their nutrient profile…

“They are virtually fat free and low in calories,” explains Bianca. “They are rich in vitamins and minerals and are an excellent source of B vitamins, selenium (a powerful antioxidant), copper (which supports heart and nervous system health), potassium (which helps regulate blood pressure).” So far, so virtuous. “They also contain compounds known as beta-glucans that help the immune system. Gut and digestive health is another benefit as they are a great source of prebiotic fibre which feeds beneficial gut bacteria while helping digestion and maintaining a balanced microbiome. Mushrooms exposed to UV light produce vitamin D2 making them one of the few plant-based sources of vitamin D – crucial for bone health.”

Why are they so popular in wellness circles?

“Adaptogenic mushrooms such as Reishi, Cordyceps, and Lion’s Mane are increasingly used in wellness circles to support stress management, endurance and mood,” says Bianca. “Lion’s Mane is becoming a popular mushroom and is being studied for its potential neuroprotective effects in supporting cognitive function and memory.”

While stocking mushroom-packed supplements might be a little out of your comfort zone, do check out blends from the likes of Sixways which provide superfood-packed alternatives to your usual cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

How can Speciality Food readers cater to this growing demand?

“Look at expanding the range of fresh mushrooms to include more of the exotic types of mushrooms such as King Oyster, Shimeji, Enoki, Lion’s Mane and Cordyceps, and also wild when in season,” advises Will. “We are fortunate in the UK with such great wild mushrooms growing here, especially in Scotland through late summer and into autumn. The advantage of wild mushrooms is the European season for many types runs from late summer through to the spring. It’s a great seasonal product that is available at a time of the year when there isn’t an abundance of exciting UK produce to get excited about!”