Make room for mushrooms!

Saturday Morning's James Martin has teamed up with the Mushroom Bureau in a bid to get us all eating more of the tasty little blighters.

To get you started the celebrity chef has created these two fabulous fungi recipes.

Enjoy!

Mushroom soup with coriander cress

Serves 4

• 1kg (2lb 3oz) flat mushrooms-sliced and dark gills removed

• 100ml (3 ½fl oz) rapeseed oil

• 2 large shallots, peeled and chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

• Juice of ½ lemon

• 500ml (18fl oz) chicken stock

• 250ml (9fl oz) double cream

• 125g (4 ½oz) butter, diced

• 250g (9oz) mixed mushrooms (such as chestnut, Portobello and oyster) roughly chopped

• 5g (1/4oz) chervil, chopped

• 50g (2oz) coriander cress or micro salad leaves

• Salt and black pepper

1. Remove stalks from the flat mushrooms and, using a spoon, scrape away and discard the dark gills, then cut the mushrooms into slices about 5mm (1/4in) thick.

2. Place a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, pour in half the rapeseed oil, and then add the shallots and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until softened. Add the sliced mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes

3. Stir in lemon juice then pour in the stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes

4. Transfer the contents of the pan into a blender and whizz to a smooth puree- thus should take a good 2-3 minutes. Pour back into the pan, add the cream and mix thoroughly. Gently warm over a low heat, then stir in the diced butter, adjust the seasoning, if needed, and keep warm on the hob

6. Pour the remained of the oil into a frying pan over a medium heat and sauté the mixed mushrooms for about 3 minutes or until cooked through, then season and set aside

To serve: Divide the cooked wild mushrooms between bowls, ladle over the soup and sprinkle with the chervil and coriander cress or micro salad leaves

Sautéed chicken livers and mushrooms on toast

Serves 4

• 4 slices from a white bloomer

• 30g (1 1/4oz) butter

• 6 rashers of back bacon cut into lardons

• 400g (14oz) chicken livers

• 200g (7oz) chestnut mushrooms, cut in half

• 50ml (2fl oz) white wine

• 110ml (4fl oz) double cream

• 3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

• Salt and black pepper

1. Toast the bread, either in a toaster or under the grill, pre-heated to medium-high, and set aside

2. Melt half the butter in a frying pan and set over a high heat, add the bacon and fry until it starts to crisp. Add the livers and mushrooms, and sauté for 1 minute

3. Pour over the wine and cream and stir all the ingredients together for 2-3 minutes, but no more, to ensure the livers stay pink in the middle, then remove the pan from the heat

4. Add the parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with: Slices of toast, plain or buttered with the remaining butter