King Alfred’s been back in the kitchen but a Great British Bake Off winner he is not. His cakes, otherwise known as Daldinia concentrica, even when you can peek inside their blackened exteriors, never look palatable. With these I found in the woods this week though, Alfred has certainly produced some creative shapes.

And, even if inedible, they are sturdy enough to provide a home to tiny creatures, in this case a woodlouse and a springtail.