How to tell Oak milkcap from Fenugreek milk cap

The cap is 3 to 10 cm across, usually 4 to 8 cm, convex with an inrolled margin at first, then flattened with a shallow central dip and finally shallowly funnel-shaped; a central bump is rare.

It's a dull reddish brown, cinnamon or yellow-brown, darker in the centre, with faint darker concentric zones or rings of spots. The surface is matt and dry, though it can look a little shiny in wet weather.

The cap is 6–15 (up to 20) cm across, which makes this a big milk cap. Convex at first, it flattens out with a sunken centre, often with a small umbo when mature. The colour is beige-brown, flesh-ochre or brownish grey, fading with age. The surface is dry, finely granular or mealy, with no distinct concentric zones.

The gills run slightly down the stem and are crowded and narrow, cream or pinkish buff at first, later reddish brown, often with rusty spots. Broken gills release plentiful white to creamy-white milk that doesn't turn bright yellow.

The spore print is cream with a slight salmon-pink tinge.

The gills are crowded, narrow, adnate or slightly decurrent, pale cream to cream-ochre and darkening with age. When damaged they exude a small amount of watery, clear-white or whey-like milk — a distinctive feature of this species: the milk is neither thick nor abundant.

The stem is 3 to 7 cm tall and 0.5 to 1.5 cm thick, the colour of the cap and darker reddish brown towards the base, cylindrical, often furrowed lengthways, solid at first and later hollow. There's no ring.

The stem is 5–10 cm tall and 1–2.5 cm thick, cylindrical or slightly tapering toward the base, and hollow in mature mushrooms. It’s the same colour as the cap or slightly paler: beige, flesh-coloured. The surface is dry and finely fibrous, with no ring and no volva.

The flesh is firm, brittle and whitish, reddish brown in the stem base, and browns with age.

The flesh is pale cream and watery, thin for such a large mushroom, and turns brittle as it dries. The milk is watery, whey-like and scanty, and does not change colour in the air. Cut flesh doesn’t noticeably darken.

An oily smell, often said to be like bugs, strongest in old or drying caps. The taste is mild to slightly bitter, not hot.

A very strong, distinctive smell of dry hay, chicory, burnt sugar or even maple syrup, especially pronounced as it dries. This is its most characteristic feature. Here’s the paradox: the smell is appealing, but it is a warning sign, not a sign of “edibility”. Raw, the flesh tastes bitterish with a faintly acrid aftertaste.