A walk near his grandparents house saw a young forager discovering a giant puffball weighing almost 3kg.

Cressida Jupp of Llangattock Lingoed was amazed when grandson Josh Wald returned home from a walk on the slopes of the Skirrid with his grandfather Tom, proudly clutching the giant fungi.

“I didn’t know what it was when we found it. I saw this giant white puffy thing - and as I approached it I thought it might be an alien egg. But then my Grandpa told me what it was - I’m still speechless. I carried it all the way home,” said Josh, aged 11, who regularly spends holidays with his grandparents near Abergavenny.

Giant puffballs are normally found during late summer and autumn and can be found in nutrient-rich grassy areas.

They often grow to about the size of a football, though there have been reports of larger specimens weighing up to 20kg.

The largest British specimen ever measured was 1.62 metres (64ins) in circumference, according to the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew website, which says 4kg (8lbs) is about the average weight.

According to the experts at Kew, the mushroom is an “excellent edible fungus” which has been “long sought after for its culinary value” although foraging experts warn it should only be eaten if found in perfect condition.