Native ingredients on the butcher’s counter
Food has always been a large part of Mindy Woods’ life and culture, but it wasn’t until she made the finals of MasterChef in 2012 that she decided to go all in and make it her life.
A proud Bundjalung woman, Mindy ran a successful restaurant in Byron Bay for five years before deciding to take the food experience on Country, taking guests out to identify native plants, understand their cultural and ecological significance, and then sitting them down to a long lunch that brings it all together.
“In the last five to six years, I’ve really focused on embracing my cultural heritage as a First Nations woman and trying to bring native food to the forefront of Australia’s dining experience,” Mindy says. “Consumers have such a desire to learn and experience these things, and when we bring native ingredients into an industry like butchery, it increases accessibility and normalises their use in everyday cooking.”
Start with the spices
For butchers new to native ingredients, Mindy’s advice is to begin with native spices.
“Native spices are about four to five times as potent as the introduced spices we are familiar with,” she explains. “You can use a quarter of the amount and get the same aromatic and flavour profile. Not only are they economical, but they’re also connecting people to the true foods of this beautiful place we call Australia.”
Mindy says pepper berry and pepper leaf are obvious entry points: they can directly substitute for black and white pepper but are more aromatic and complex. And the myrtle family opens up a whole world from there. Lemon myrtle is already reasonably well known, but cinnamon myrtle (cinnamon and nutmeg notes, beautiful with lamb), and aniseed myrtle (a natural in slow braises) are worth exploring.
Native ingredients such as wattleseed, with its coffee, earthy, chocolate notes, work well with secondary cuts. Wattleseed also suits value-add products by adding texture as well as flavour in offerings such as sausages and burger blends.
Saltbush, available in around 60 varieties, has 20% less sodium than table salt.
“When you integrate saltbush into your value-add products – rissoles, mince, sausages –you’re adding protein and using a salt substitute that’s packed full of flavour.”
Compound butters are another low-effort add-on. A saltbush garlic butter to sell alongside premium cuts requires no special equipment and is the kind of thing that drives incremental spend at the counter.
Beyond herbs and spices, Mindy recommends butchers consider stocking paperbark as a retail product in its own right. Customers can use it on the barbecue in place of foil, wrapping proteins like rump cap to impart sweet, smoky, woody notes as they cook... and it’s biodegradable.
Tap into local knowledge
Working with native ingredients comes with a responsibility to engage thoughtfully.
“We’re not one culture; it’s not a monoculture when it comes to First Nations Australians,” Mindy says. She suggests butchers connect with their local Aboriginal Land Council to learn about the Traditional Owners in their area and find out what native foods are specific to that country.
“What grows on Bundjalung Country isn't necessarily what’s going to be growing down on Ngunnawal Country or up on Larrakia Country.”
Better still, she says, invite local mob into the shop.
“Bring them in for a cook-up. That’s when that real connection and relationship-building takes place. And you’re also introducing an opportunity for cultural tourism into your business.”
What’s coming
Looking ahead, Mindy is excited about native plums, particularly Davidson plum and Illawarra plum, as marinade bases for grilled meats.
“Because they’re quite acidic, they help to tenderise those secondary cuts of meat too. It’s a cheat’s way of making them more palatable, while introducing some native flavours.”
She says curry myrtle is another one to watch: eucalypt and smoky curry notes that work as a dry rub or thrown directly onto coals.
Her broader message to butchers is straightforward.
“Native foods are just like Thai cuisine was 30 years ago in Australia. It’s all about just being brave enough to taste them, to get a sense of them, and knowing how to easily substitute them in. The trick is to get excited and not overthink it.”