Monaghan, A Natural Future

The UK and Ireland Mushrooms Producers is launching a new campaign to support their Made With Mushrooms platform, which inspires the nation to cook new and flavourful food that highlights the versatility of mushrooms in recipes.

Today, the company has announced its first collaboration with the multi-talented chef, author, and sustainability advocate Melissa Hemsley, to show consumers just how easy it is to incorporate nutritious and tasty mushrooms into an array of meals.

Melissa is part of the iconic Hemsley sister duo who are well-known in the UK. To her 182K followers on Instagram, she recreates healthy and inspiring dishes that be easily made at home.

The partnership with the passionate foodie will be focus on encouraging more people to create vegetarian dishes and will be amplified through PR, social media and digital activity.

Due to her strong sustainability ethos and appealing to a wide audience, whilst having resonance with Gen Z’s, Melissa will be championing the humble mushroom, helping shoppers to eat seasonally and keep food miles down.

As consumers continue to seek out better tasting, healthier and fortified foods, The UK and Ireland Mushrooms Producers want to inspire and educate people on why they should eat more mushrooms, as just eight mushrooms a day will deliver 100% of your RDA for vitamin D and Omega-3.

Mushrooms have proven to be a hero, versatile ingredient used in home-cooking, witnessing a large surge in sales over the pandemic due to their health credentials. Kantar data has recently seen total volume sales of mushrooms in the UK rising by 19.5% in comparison to the previous year, outperforming other vegetables in the category.¹

This is not only due to their affordability, sustainability and notable health credentials, but when cooking with mushrooms, the whole mushroom including the stalk can be cooked, making them the ideal ingredient providing zero food waste.

As part of the campaign, Melissa Hemsley has been tasked by the UK and Ireland Mushroom Producers to write her own love letter to mushrooms – showing her audience why she loves the popular vegetable and why the nation should too.

My recipes are simple to make and use some of the best produce

She will be creating a series of unique recipes such as Spinach Pancakes topped with Mushrooms & Ricotta, Lemongrass Mushroom ‘Mince’ with Lettuce Cups and a celebratory Buckwheat Mushroom Galette. Melissa will also be sharing her top tips on a variety of different cooking techniques to bring excitement to the kitchen.

The recipes and video content will be available via the Made With Mushrooms website and social media channels.

Melissa Hemsley, brand ambassador for The UK and Ireland Mushroom Producers, comments: “I have always been a fan of using mushrooms in my dishes! They are versatile, healthy and have a fantastic umami flavour, which have worked perfectly in my new meat-free recipes this spring.

“My recipes are simple to make and use some of the best British produce you can find in your local supermarket. I like to be in touch with nature as much as possible and eat with the seasons and thankfully, mushrooms are available to buy all year round.

“By replacing a small portion of your meat with finely diced mushrooms, you are not only reducing your meat consumption, but your meals will have less fat, fewer calories and packed full of additional health benefits.”

Alongside Melissa, the UK and Ireland Mushroom Producers will be working with other talented individuals to produce recipes throughout the year, to encourage the nation to eat more mushrooms.

¹Kantar data: 21st March 2021