Sales of mushrooms have hit an all-time high as Britons increasingly turn to the cheap and versatile foodstuff for their cooking.
Shoppers spent over ￡365 million on mushrooms over the last year, equivalent to ￡14 per household, making them the nation’s third most popular item in supermarkets' vegetable aisle after potatoes and tomatoes.
Around 118,000 tons of mushrooms were sold in the past 12 months and supermarkets are bolstering supplies to cope with the extra demand. Although button and closed cup mushrooms dominate the market, strong growth was seen by brown and chestnut mushrooms. Mushrooms are now more popular than carrots, onions, broccoli and peppers, according to Kantar Worldpanel.
Researchers said that shoppers are turning to mushrooms as they add depth and flavour to dishes and have health benefits.
Dr Christian Jessen, the nutrition expert and TV presenter, said: “Mushrooms are an excellent source of B vitamins which are needed for a healthy diet. They are especially good for anyone trying to lose weight given they are exceptionally low in calories and fat.”
The research also found that Britons are getting lazy. Sales of pre-sliced mushroom have grown by a quarter over the last year.

在英国，蘑菇销量创下了历史新高，因为越来越多的英国人转而选择这种廉价、多用途的食材来做菜。
去年，英国消费者花了3.65亿英镑用于购买蘑菇，相当于每户14英镑，这让蘑菇成为英国超市蔬菜货架上第三大受欢迎的食物，仅次于土豆和西红柿。
在过去12个月就售出了约11.8万吨蘑菇，而且超市还在加强供给来应对额外需求。草菇和杯子洋菇占据的市场份额最大，不过鲜冬菇和茶树菇的销量增长势头也很强劲。
根据市场调研公司康塔尔事务所的数据，现在蘑菇比胡萝卜、洋葱、花椰菜和辣椒都更受欢迎。
研究人员称，消费者选择蘑菇是因为蘑菇给菜肴增添了醇厚的口感，更具风味，而且还对健康有益。
营养专家、电视节目主持人克里斯蒂安?杰森博士说：“蘑菇含有丰富的维生素B，这是健康的食谱所需要的。蘑菇对那些想减肥的人特别有益，因为蘑菇所含的卡路里和脂肪都很低。”

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