TV show Hell's Kitchen blamed for wild mushroom shortage

Millions saw top chief Marco Pierre White sing the praises of wild mushrooms when he cooked them with Dover Sole on the ITV1 show.

Scroll down for more...

But today rangers on a country estate warned people are cashing in by picking "car boot loads" of the expensive fungi in the countryside to sell to food-lovers in the cities.

The rise in TV shows by celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein, Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White has seen a demand for more unusual ingredients such as the wild mushrooms.

Scroll down for more...

Some of the gastronomes' favourites are chanterelle, horn of plenty and Penny buns.

But one nature trust has taken steps to prevent the over-picking of wild mushrooms to save them from possible extinction.

The Elan Valley Trust banned visitors from picking wild mushrooms. About 10,000 species of mushroom grow in Britain - and about 1,000 were found on the estate.

Peter Jennings, head ranger at 42,000-acre Elan Valley estate in Mid-Wales said: "We have had people from eastern Europe picking whole car-boot loads for commercial purposes.

"I have been here 20 years and in my time numbers have declined.

Jennings added: "Some species have disappeared from sites - and it's no coincidence those are the ones that sell for the most money."

But nature-lover Daniel Butler who runs tours condemned the mushroom picking ban.

He said: "I have been doing this for nine years without any problems, and there is no scientific evidence that I'm causing any damage whatsoever by picking mushrooms.

"They are fantastically edible, but some are only about an inch off the ground and difficult to see without picking.

"I'm not commercially exploiting the valley, but I want to open people's eyes to mushrooms."

Trust chairman John Evans defended the blanket ban - despite protests from some nature lovers who want to study the mushrooms.

He said: "It would be impossible to police if you permit some people to take some fungi, some of the time, in some places.

"We think it is wiser to have a total prohibition on the removal of any fungi on the estate."

He warned that a rare bog orchid had been picked to extinction on the estate - and the mushrooms could be next.

Scroll down for more...

Comedian Jim Davidson was axed from the celebrity cooking show for insulting homosexuals.

The 53-year-old controversial entertainer was asked to leave by programme-makers for homophobic comments, which saw him brand gay men "shirtlifters".

Mr Davidson left the nightly reality show after a series of rows with former Big Brother winner Brian Dowling, who is openly gay.