King Charles and Queen Camilla’s favourite wild mushroom pappardelle

Indulge in the royal favourite with this simple yet decadent wild mushroom pappardelle, featuring freshly foraging porcini, from Tom Parker Bowles’ royal cookbook – just as the King and Queen would enjoy after one of their competitive mushrooms hunts

Wild mushrooms are a bit of an obsession among the royals (John Carey)

“Wild mushrooms are somewhat of an obsession, with Charles III and Queen Camilla deeply competitive about their hauls,” says Tom Parker Bowles.

“In the late summer, porcinis (also known as penny buns or ceps) are particularly abundant in Scotland, as are the apricot-scented chanterelles, birch bolete and wood hedgehog.

“The wild harvest is either cooked fresh, preserved in butter or dried for use throughout the year.”

Fresh pappardelle with porcini recipe

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

‘Cooking and the Crown’ details the history of food within the royal family (Aster)

400g pappardelle pasta

A big lump of butter

A big glug of olive oil

600g porcini (cep) mushrooms, sliced vertically

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Glass of white wine

A handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A big handful of grated Parmesan, to serve

Method:

1. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water according to the package instructions.

2. Meanwhile, heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. When hot, add the mushrooms and cook for five minutes until all the water has evaporated.

3. Reduce the heat and add the garlic, cooking for a few minutes, then whack the heat back up and deglaze the pan with the wine. Let it evaporate, then add salt and pepper to taste, parsley and a teaspoonful of the pasta cooking water.

4. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce in the pan, mixing well. Serve with the grated Parmesan.

Recipe from ‘Cooking And The Crown’ by Tom Parker Bowles (Aster, £30), available 26 September.