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Celebrating Christmas with Bush Food

20 December 2017
Culture and Capability
Several glasses and a jug sit on a tablecloth of Indigenous design. Some glass are empty while the jug and other glasses are filled with a red drink with a white head.

First Food Co are bush food specialists making native Australian food flavours accessible to all Australians as well as recipes ideal for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

First Food Co are bush food specialists, making drinks, jams, relishes and other everyday foods out of native Australian fruits, nuts and spices.

Dale Chapman, Director of First Food Co, together with business partner Karen Perks founded the company in 2016.

‘We are in the business of making native Australian food flavours accessible to all Australians through consumer goods,’ Dale said.

‘And what better time of year to enjoy them than the Christmas and New Year period.’

The Brisbane based company has also published many recipes for foods and drinks that will enhance and give variety to your Christmas and New Year celebrations. They recommend the following drink added to your favourite mix of soda or mineral water.

Rainbow Juice Cordial

Ingredients

300g of mixed rainforest fruits:

  • 3 ooray plums, 2 dooja limes, 1 cup riberries

10 lemon myrtle leaves

5 anise myrtle leaves

10 cinnamon myrtle leaves

2 litres of water

1kg of sugar (white or raw)

Instructions

  • Place all the fruit, water and sugar in a large pan and bring to the boil.

  • Make a bundle with the leaves and tie together with string.

  • When boiling, turn down the heat and leave to reduce by 2/3 in the pan.

  • Turn off the flame and add bundle of leaves to seep for 20 minutes, before straining the syrup. Keep the fruit.

  • When cool, bottle syrup and refrigerate until ready to use.

  • Use like cordial with soda water (yummy) of you can pour it over ice cream and pancakes.

Chef’s Note: Remove the bundle of leaves from the fruit and roughly chop rainbow fruit mixture for use in other recipes.

Find out more

First Food Co is registered with Supply Nation that provides Indigenous businesses with a unique level of access to corporate and government buyers.

First Food Co has taken advantage of the Australian Government’s Indigenous Procurement Policy that is designed to drive demand for Indigenous goods and services and stimulate economic development in the Indigenous business sector.