Foraging Guide: Yellowfoot Mushroom

14th November 2025 | Words and pictures by Connor McElroy

The yellowfoot mushroom (Craterellus tubaeformis) is a small but prized wild fungus that thrives through autumn and early winter. It’s a close relative of the chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) and shares the same delicate, fruity aroma and rich, buttery flavour.

These mushrooms are widely distributed across the UK and Europe, favouring damp, mossy coniferous forests where they emerge in dense clusters. If you locate a good yellowfoot spot, it’s possible to harvest several kilograms in just a few hours.

Though not as visually beautiful as their golden cousins, their vibrant orange stems and grey-brown, funnel-shaped caps are instantly recognisable, making them a good option for amateur foragers.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to confidently identify Craterellus tubaeformis, where to find them, and how to prepare and preserve them.

Yellowfoot Mushroom Identification

Finding yellowfoot mushrooms can be a reward for persistence. While their stems are bright orange, their grey-brown caps camouflage amongst autumn leaf litter. However, once you spot one, you’ll usually find many (many) more.

The defining characteristics of Craterellus tubaeformis are its hollow, yellow-orange stipe (stem) and funnel-shaped cap. These mushrooms feature false gills – forked ridges that cover the underside of the cup and run partway down the stipe. This makes them easier to identify than mushrooms with true gills.

The yellowfoot mushroom has no true poisonous look-alikes. This factor, combined with its vibrant, hollow stem and false gills, makes it a relatively safe mushroom for amateur foragers to search for. With that said, you should understand exactly what to look for. The guide below will help you identify these mushrooms in the field.

Defining Features

Here are the defining features of Craterellus tubaeformis:

• Cap: 2–6cm across, grey-brown to olive-brown, and funnel-shaped. Younger mushrooms have a rolled rim, while more mature specimens have a wavy edge. The middle of the cap is darker than the edges and often (not always) has a hole in the centre. The surface is dry, slightly rough, and faintly scaled in older samples.
• Underside: Pale grey to buff with false gills that cannot be removed – forked ridges that run across the entire underside of the cap and partway down the stipe.
• Stipe: Slender, hollow, and yellow to orange. Tough but flexible and frays when split.
• Flesh: Thin, pale, slightly elastic, and fibrous when torn.
• Spore Print: White to pale cream.
• Scent: Earthy and fruity. Often compared to chanterelles with a smell of apricots, though not as strong.
• Taste: Subtly sweet, nutty, and buttery with a deep, savoury, umami flavour when cooked.

Similar Species

There are no true poisonous look-alikes for Craterellus tubaeformis. However, some funnel mushrooms in the Clitocybe genus may be confused by amateur foragers. They can appear somewhat similar at a glance, but they have true gills, not ridges.

While there are no dangerous doppelgangers, there are two edible species that are almost identical – Cantharellus infundibuliformis and Craterellus lutescens. These two species are closely related to C. tubaeformis and only vary slightly in colour.

When searching for yellowfoot mushrooms, you may well collect these two species as well. However, they’re so similar in appearance, taste, and aroma that you don’t need to worry.

Where to Find Yellowfoot Mushrooms

Going in search of yellowfoot mushrooms can not only extend your foraging season, but it can also fill your larder with delicious, gourmet mushrooms that’ll last until the following winter. These mushrooms are widespread across the UK and grow abundantly from the Scottish Highlands to southern England, favouring damp, mossy, shaded forests.

They grow from September through to January across the length of Britain. However, the season can start later and finish earlier due to changes in weather conditions.

You’ll find them below:

• In moss-covered coniferous woodland.
• Beneath spruce, pine, and fir.
• Hidden amongst moss and leaf litter. You’ll often see just the cap of the mushrooms exposed.
• In cool, damp environments – dense parts of the forest, shaded slopes, on the banks of woodland streams and ditches.
• Growing in dense clusters in sparse groups.

Preparing Yellowfoot Mushrooms

The slender, hollow stems and thin caps of yellowfoot mushrooms make them quick to cook and ideal for a wide range of dishes. However, their texture can be on the rubbery or “stringy” side, making them better for sauces, stocks, and stews.

Due to the size and large volumes you’re likely to find, cleaning these mushrooms is tedious. You’ll need to cut the base of the stems to remove dirt, brush debris from the cap, and split a handful down the stem to check for insects.

Avoid soaking yellowfoot mushrooms (they quickly absorb water) unless you plan on dehydrating them for storage immediately.

To use, first sauté in butter or olive oil with aromatics (optional). Add to sauces, pasta, soups, or stews.

Preserving Yellowfoot Mushrooms

Yellowfoot mushrooms are ideal for drying, and this is by far the best way to preserve their delicate, aromatic flavour. In fact, the deep, umami taste often intensifies after dehydration.

To dry yellowfoot mushrooms, simply clean them thoroughly and spread them evenly on trays in your dehydrator. Dry at 50℃ for around 12 hours, or until the stems and caps “crack” audibly when split.

If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can dry the mushrooms on racks in the oven. Set your oven to the lowest temperature and prop the door open with a teatowel.

Mushroom Cream Sauce Recipe

Yellowfoots are delicious. These small mushrooms are packed with flavour and add umami to any dish. However, their rubbery, bouncy texture isn't for everyone.

In my opinion, they are best used as a seasoning rather than the main ingredient in a dish.

This mushroom cream sauce recipe allows the complex taste of the mushrooms to shine without their texture overpowering the dish. You can use this sauce to complement meat dishes (steak, chicken, and pork) or as a pasta sauce.

It can be made with both fresh and dried yellowfoot mushrooms with great success. If using dried mushrooms, just make sure to rehydrate them with a splash of hot water before cooking.

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients (Serves Two to Four)

• 200g Fresh (or dried) Yellowfoot Mushrooms
• 25g Butter
• 400ml Double Cream
• 1 Chopped Onion
• 1 Tsp Soy Sauce (Thai mushroom soy sauce works best)
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• Parsley (for garnishing)

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1. Roughly chop 200g of fresh yellowfoot mushrooms. If using dried mushrooms, break them into small pieces and soak in hot water for 5 minutes before straining. 
   2. Finely dice an onion and add it to a pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil and half of your butter. Cook over medium heat until translucent (5 to 10 minutes).
   3. Add the mushrooms to the pan with the rest of the butter and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
   4. When the mushrooms have softened, add 1 tsp of soy sauce, a pinch of pepper and stir. 
   5. Pour the cream into the pan and reduce until thick but pourable. 
   6. Sprinkle finely chopped parsley over the sauce and use it to complement your favourite dish. It works especially well with steak and potatoes (as pictured above).

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Connor McElroy is a writer and editor inspired by wild places and simple living. From Scandinavian forests to mountain ridges, his work captures the quiet beauty of life outdoors.