Cep

Other Names

Porcini, penny bun, boletus, king bolete

Latin Name

Boletus edulis

Usually Found In

UK, Italy, France, Poland, Romania, Portugal, Ukraine, Spain, South Africa, the USA, Mexico

Season

June to March

Ceps are the pretty-much undisputed king of the fungi family. Fetching a high price at the height of their season, which runs from June through to March but peaking in the autumn time, ceps are the must-have autumnal mushroom for chefs around the Western world. With a large moist, rich-chestnut colour cap and a strong, thick creamy stem, the cep has yellow pores instead of gills, which change through age to sometimes appear grey or green, and is picked young, before the forager’s main competitor, the maggot, gets there first.