Okay, ready for a fancy-pants dish? With most of my recipes, I'm conscious of keeping things real. I shop at Aldi & Tesco, so the majority of the ingredients I use regularly can be bought in most UK supermarkets. But sometimes it's fun to go all out creative, especially if you fancy impressing friends at a dinner party.

My inspiration for this risotto comes of course from growing my own mushrooms! Pink Oysters have such a short shelf life that there really is no alternative but to cultivate your own crop. You can't buy these in the supermarket. If you fancy giving them a try, click here to find out how much fun mushroom growing can be. 

You don't have to use King Oysters of course. Any shroom will do. I've also used some delicious risotto rice and a pre-made porcini paste that came in a fabulous vegan hamper I got at Christmas. Again, you can use regular rice, but this makes it fancy & oh so simple. I'll include shopping links for you to order something similar. 

INGREDIENTS

200g porcini risotto rice mix (like this one) 

90g porcini funghi sauteed (this is the one)

1 tbsp olive oil

4 shallots, peeled & chopped 

3 cloves of garlic

6 - 8 Pink King Oysters (home grown)

Juice of half a lemon

Salt & pepper

HERE'S HOW

Begin by boiling a pan of stock, add the risotto rice & cook as per the packet instructions. I usually boil for 10 minutes, then switch the heat off and let the rice cook through

Meanwhile add the olive oil to a pan and throw in the chopped shallots, warming until soft. Add the mushrooms & garlic, season with salt & pepper and gently warm until cooked through (approx 5 - 8 minutes)

Add the strained risotto rice to the pan and stir everything together well. Spoon in the porcini paste and continue to stir over a low heat

Season with salt, pepper and a little squeeze of lemon to serve