Store mushrooms in a paper bag or breathable container in your fridge’s vegetable drawer, where they'll stay fresh for five to ten days depending on variety. Most UK gourmet mushrooms—from oysters to shiitake—need air circulation and moderate humidity to slow moisture loss and mould. I’ve learned this through years of growing small-batch varieties for South London restaurants and the West Norwood Feast market, and the method works whether you’ve bought from us or foraged them yourself.
Why mushrooms deteriorate quickly, and what actually happens in your fridge
Mushrooms are mostly water. When you bring them home and seal them in plastic, they release moisture that pools around them, creating a microclimate where mould thrives and the flesh softens within days. Plastic also prevents air movement, which accelerates decay. The moment a mushroom is picked or foraged, it stops gaining water from the ground, so it has only what’s already inside—and it’s losing it constantly through its skin.
Temperature matters, but humidity matters more. Your fridge is already cold enough (around 4°C is ideal), but if the mushrooms sit in a sealed, damp environment, cold alone won’t save them. I’ve seen beautiful oyster mushrooms from our growers at the Community Mycology Lab in Remakery Brixton spoil in two days in a sealed plastic bag, and last a week in a paper bag in the same fridge. The difference is breath.
Different varieties have different lifespans. Delicate cultivated mushrooms like shiitake or king trumpet can last seven to ten days with proper storage, while firmer varieties or foraged types like ceps may stretch longer. But all of them depend on the same principle: air flow and controlled moisture.
What container should you use to store mushrooms?
Paper bags are your best option. A plain paper or kraft bag allows moisture to escape without drying the mushrooms out completely, and it lets air circulate. If you don’t have a paper bag, a cardboard box with a few small holes punched in it works. Some people use a clean kitchen towel loosely draped over a bowl, which also allows air flow. The goal is to create a barrier that slows moisture loss without trapping humidity.
Avoid sealed plastic bags, airtight containers and cling film. These trap condensation and accelerate rot. If mushrooms arrive in plastic from a shop or market—as ours sometimes do when heading to restaurants—transfer them to paper as soon as you get home. Remove any packaging and check them visually for damage or soft spots before storing.
If you’re storing mushrooms for more than a few days, add a single layer of kitchen roll or newspaper inside the container. This absorbs excess surface moisture without touching the mushroom flesh. Change the paper every two or three days if you notice dampness. This method is what we recommend to customers at West Norwood Feast and through our culinary workshops, and it’s simple enough that it actually gets used.
Where in the fridge should mushrooms go?
Place your paper bag in the vegetable drawer at the bottom of the fridge. This is the warmest zone (usually 4–5°C rather than the coldest 0–2°C), which is where mushrooms prefer to be. Warmer doesn’t mean room temperature—it means not next to the back wall of the main shelf, where they’d freeze slightly. The vegetable drawer also tends to have slightly higher humidity than open shelves, which helps slow the loss of moisture from the mushroom’s flesh.
Keep mushrooms away from ethylene-producing fruits like apples, pears and avocados. These emit a ripening gas that speeds up decay in neighbouring foods. If your vegetable drawer is small or crowded, store mushrooms in a dedicated spot on a middle shelf instead—as long as they’re not touching the back wall or exposed to the coldest air.
Don’t stack them on top of other vegetables. Mushrooms bruise easily, and their thin flesh will collapse under weight. Give them their own small space.
How long will they actually last?
Cultivated gourmet varieties—oyster, shiitake, king trumpet, enoki and lion’s mane—will stay fresh for five to ten days in a paper bag in the vegetable drawer. Firmer wild varieties and foraged mushrooms (ceps, chanterelles, hedgehog) can sometimes last a little longer, up to two weeks, especially if they were fresh when foraged. The clock starts from the moment they’re picked, not from the moment you buy them, so fresh mushrooms from a grower or forager will outlast those that have spent days in transit or on a supermarket shelf.
Check them every two or three days. Open the bag and look for any soft spots, slime or visible mould. A mushroom with a firm, dry cap and no blemishes is still good. One with a dark, slimy patch or a smell of ammonia should be discarded, as it’s begun to decay. If you notice a few spots on one mushroom but the rest of the batch is fine, you can carefully trim away the damaged cap, though it’s better to use the whole mushroom soon after.
Should you clean mushrooms before storing them?
Don’t wash them. Mushrooms are porous and absorb water instantly, which will speed up rot. Instead, wipe each mushroom gently with a dry cloth or soft brush to remove soil or debris. This takes thirty seconds and keeps moisture off the flesh. If you’ve foraged them, a quick brush with a soft mushroom brush (which we recommend in our foraging walks through South London) is ideal. If you’ve bought from a grower like ours, they’re usually clean already.
Store them as they arrive. Moving them around, washing them, or cutting them before use shortens their lifespan. Only clean and cut them when you’re ready to cook.
What should you do when they start to age?
As mushrooms age, their texture softens and their flavour becomes more concentrated—which means older mushrooms aren’t wasted, they’re just better for different dishes. Firm, fresh mushrooms are best for frying or grilling. Softer mushrooms work beautifully in soups, stews, or sauces where texture matters less and depth of flavour matters more. A ten-day-old shiitake has more umami than a fresh one, and it dissolves into a braise in a way a fresh cap never would.
If you can’t use them in time, dry them. Spread mushrooms on a plate in a warm, dry place (an airing cupboard, a warm shelf above the oven, or a dehydrator) for a few days until they’re completely hard. Dried mushrooms last for months and concentrate flavour further. We make dried mushroom products at the studio, and they’re worth learning to make at home. Rehydrate them in warm water before cooking, or add them directly to soups and stews where they’ll absorb liquid and soften.