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Learn how to grow your own mushrooms and then prepare a scrumptious soup at an upcoming Greeniversity class.

You will be provided with everything you need to grow your own mushrooms on a specially prepared log, and then given tips on how to cultivate them in your own home.

Class attendees will also be shown how to use pieces of porcini to make a warming soup, which they can then devour with some homemade bread, before heading home with their mushroom log.

The free class takes place at The Green Backyard, in Oundle Road, Peterborough, from 2pm to 5pm on Wednesday 20th February.

Greeniversity Development Coordinator Ian Tennant said: “Cookery classes like this always prove to be some of the most fun. If you want to learn how to make your own delicious soup then sign up now.

“We have a wide range of classes coming up in Peterborough but we are always keen to hear from people who want to start up their own.”

Poor summer weather and a dry September led to a bumper crop of wild mushrooms in 2012.

An increasing number of television chefs, including Antonio Carluccio, who has just opened a restaurant in Peterborough, recommend using fresh mushrooms in dishes.

However, eating the wrong kind of field mushrooms can make people extremely sick, so make sure you get expert advice before foraging in the wild.

Other upcoming Greeniversity classes in Peterborough include improving your public speaking skills on Monday 25th February, and a workshop on reducing waste in the home on Friday 1st March.

It promises to be an exciting year for Greeniversity. Preparations are underway to launch the scheme across the country thanks to a £100,000 grant from the Innovation in Giving fund, which is managed by National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA).

The skill sharing scheme has been piloted in Cambridge, Leicester, Rutland, Lincoln and Loughborough.

An impressive total of 600 classes have already been delivered in Peterborough since Greeniversity was created in 2010 by Peterborough Environment City Trust, a charity which delivers green projects for a sustainable Peterborough.

Greeniversity continues to need free premises and free tutoring from organisations and members of the public, to find out more about how you can get involved, or to sign up to a class, visit www.greeniversity.org.uk. If you are interested in running a class or offering your space, please email peterborough@greeniversity.org.uk