A professional forager has discovered one of Britain's rarest fungus - which can be eaten and contains healing powers.<br /><br />Chloe Newcomb Hodgetts, 41, stumbled on the super-rare Tiered Tooth Fungus, or Hericium cirrhatum, in a forest in Monmouthshire, Wales.<br /><br />Chloe, who runs a professional foraging experience business 'Gormet Gatherings' and supplies Michelin star restaurants, said she nearly missed the rare fungus.<br /><br />The Tiered Tooth Fungus is so rare that when she offered a sample of it to researchers at Kew Gardens, they rejected the offer to allow it to grow more.<br /><br />Chloe said: "I've never found one before, and I probably never will again - and that's despite spending a lot of time in forests.<br /><br />"I had found some other mushrooms that day when I found it, and had actually left - but something told me to go back because I sensed there was more.<br /><br />"When I found it, I was so excited. I'm very lucky. I actually keep going to visit it."<br /><br />Tiered Tooth Fungus' are in the same family of fungus as their more common Lion's mane cousin, which looks similar and is more commonly found in North America.<br /><br />Both the Lion's Mane and Tiered Tooth Fungus are believed to have incredible medicinal properties - helping treat nerve damage, heart disease, and maybe even dementia.<br /><br />The rare fungus is actually edible, tasting like shellfish or crab, but Chloe says that foragers should avoid disturbing any they find to allow them to spread.<br /><br />She added: "I'm not concerned about people finding it, in fact I've taken a few groups to see it myself, but people should not remove these fungus or tamper with them.<br /><br />"Unfortunately there are a lot of people, particularly during porcini season, who come out and commercially farm mushrooms and fungus illegally in the ancient forests around here.<br /><br />"You always see them appear during certain times of year, leaving some areas decimated and causing damage to the woodlands. <br /><br />"Chefs who shouldn't be accepting 'backdoor mushrooms' really, but I think a lot of these people export the fungus to Europe to be sold.<br /><br />"I prefer to take small, intimate groups to visit these environments and see the life that grows in them.<br /><br />"I have a waiting list of over 200 people for woodland walks, which I use to educate people about foraging and what plants we can eat and which we cant.<br /><br />"There is not really a big foraging culture in Britain. In Czechia or Italy it's very common, but here it's unheard of really. <br /><br />"Hopefully this discovery will help raise awareness of the amazing things you can find in Britain's forests."
