The average Australian household spice rack probably contains a range of salts and herbs from around the world. Yet recently the concept of bush foods has been increasing in popularity in Australian restaurants and now, thanks to a Ballarat local, it’s become easy for people to include it in their own kitchens too.
For the past 10 years Brigid Corcoran has been a on path of discovery – researching, trialling and tasting herbs and spices that are native to Australia as a way for her to connect to the country and land she loves.
“I’ve always admired strong cultures from around the world. I can trace my Irish heritage back hundreds of years and it has so many layers. As a non-indigenous Australian, I wanted to be influenced in some way by our first nations people, and I found a beautiful way to do that is through food.
“It’s been a very personal journey and has taken a long time, but it has opened a world of Australian culture that is allowing me to define my own Australian story. It’s incredible.”
Brigid began Saltbush Kitchen as a café, which provided the opportunity to trial recipes with customers and introduce them to native Australian flavours. While this proved popular, Brigid felt her customers’ bush food experience was not translating into their home cooking.
So Brigid evolved her business and began focusing on ways she could facilitate the average Aussie home cook to include bush foods into everyday meals. Her solution was to create a large range of take-home products that can be added to almost any meal.
“We are so lucky to be exposed to cuisines from many different cultures, and what I want to show people is that we don’t have to stop eating those foods. We can simply put bush foods at the heart of it.
“Think of an Italian pasta that uses native spinach pesto instead of European spinach, or calamari spiced with salt and pepperberry or lemon myrtle.
“To me it’s how all Australians should be eating, placing bush foods at the heart of every meal. I can see the shift happening and its exciting because it’s part of who we are as Australians.”
Starting small and keeping it simple, Brigid created “The Good Salt”, a bush foods substitute for regular salt and pepper. From there the product range grew, with Brigid always mindful to present her products in an approachable way.
“If I had wattleseed or pepperberry sitting on a shelf, customers may not know how to translate that into their cooking, and that’s where I see my role – creating easy, accessible ways to use bush foods.
“I’m also keen to demonstrate that it’s not just about having Australian flavour, it’s about great flavour.”
Today, a visit to the Saltbush Kitchen store in Buninyong is a complete sensory experience that highlights everything Brigid loves about Australia. A gum leaf and bark path leads through a foyer filled with images and sounds of the Australian bush, and it creates the perfect introduction for what awaits customers in store.
“Australia is an exciting experience. Our landscape is different to anything anywhere else in the world. You can see it, smell it, hear it. I want people to have those feelings when they come in because it gives context for our food story.”
Inside you’ll find Brigid, lemon myrtle tea brewing, ready to talk about the various herbs, spice rubs, oils, jams and other products she has created using ingredients sourced from around Australia. On weekends Brigid hosts tasting sessions using recipes she has created with bush foods.
“I try to create food that people enjoy and love to share, such as sweet things like our kunzea Bundt cake, and food for entertaining like our tasty dips and crisp breads.
“Food is a leveller. If you can get people around a table, they are more willing to talk and share and naturally everyone just relaxes. It’s a really great way to introduce something new.”
No matter when you choose to visit the store, Brigid has a range of items available to taste and a selection of recipe cards that makes it easy for people to choose their first one or two spices and get cooking at home.
“I encourage people to just try one and get comfortable with it in the kitchen, to the point where you start reaching for it and you understand where is sits with your food. Then add another one. Eventually you’ll have a collection of three of four that are now staples.
“It’s time we all turned up the flavour profile of Australian food.”
Saltbush Kitchen is located in Commercial Street, Buninyong and details of products, tasting sessions and open hours can be found online. Online shopping and more about Brigid’s story can also be found on the website.
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