Beefsteak Fungus Beefsteak Fungus One of my favourite pastimes in autumn is collecting mushrooms. In Britain, we have a huge variety of mushrooms and fungi, most of which we leave in the ground because we're scared of being poisoned. This fear is not without foundation - innocent looking mushrooms such as the Death Cap and Destroying Angel are deadly poisonous, a single mushroom being enough to cause death by liver failure. Many other mushrooms can cause sickness and diarrhoea, which is unpleasant though not serious.
Field mushrooms grow in fields with grass.
If you find something that looks like a field mushroom growing in a wood or forest, or growing on a tree stump, leave it alone. It may be safe, it may not. If it has white gills, give it a wide berth. If it stains yellow or red, throw it away. Also avoid mushrooms with very pale pink gills - while it could be a young field mushroom, it could also be the poisonous Leucoagaricus leucothites which causes gastric upsets.