Embarrassingly, when I asked to visited a Sussex mushroom farm I thought I would be walking through fields of fungi. But it turns out Caley Bros Mushrooms are in fact grown in a barn at Applesham Farm, Coombes, near Lancing, in bags, in a purpose-built room where light, humidity and airflow are controlled.
And that is why the sisters behind the business are so passionate about educating people on the mushroom-growing process – to teach people how simple growing this delicious meat substitute can be. Jodie Bryan and Lorraine Caley run regular mushroom-growing workshops in person and online, as well as selling their own products directly via their website and at food markets and events.
They also sell kits so people can grow their own mushrooms at home, indoors or outdoors. And they regularly display at flower shows such as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, BBC Gardeners' World Live, RHS Hampton Court, and many more. Jodie said: "Growing mushrooms is so easy, it's as easy as planting a broad bean or any simple crop. It's great because it's a really nice and sustainable process, and you don't need a huge amount of space.
"We are all about putting a good dinner on your plate, so the fresh side of the business is so important to us." The business started in their brother Nigel's garage in Surrey in 2019. Lorraine and Jodie were on career breaks after having their second children, and along with Nigel they were caring for their dad who had cancer. They needed something they could work around their families, and having grown up in a foodie home, regularly helping on their parents' allotments, a food business made sense.
Read more at Sussex Express
