About Jude Mayall, her journey with Australian wild herbs
Jude is the owner and operator of Bush BBQ
She is the author of The Outback Chef, a book that features recipes using Australian native herbs, spices, fruits and berries. She is an industry advisor and a regular guest speaker and educator. Her talks and cooking demonstrations celebrate the power and beauty of Australian native bush flavours. She talks about the importance that these outback bush edibles play today in shaping dishes that are uniquely Australian.
Jude has given talks and curated art exhibitions featuring the artwork of the Aboriginal people of Australia illustrating their cultural connections and spiritual significance of wild-harvested bushfood. She has travelled to USA, Japan, UAE as well as many places in Australia.
Incorporating Bushfood into everyday cooking
Jude has worked with many chefs, cooks, distillers and organisations as a consultant showing how easily it is to incorporate Australian native herbs into their products.
She has cooked at outback mines, worked with the indigenous children at Tiwi College on their healthy eating program with Matthew Hayden and Guy Reynolds of Macquarie Bank turning a football field into a wonderful bush garden. At Maningrida, Arnhem Land Jude worked with the people to create a unique spice mix using the Kakadu Plums growing in the area. She has conducted bush food cooking classes teaching the teachers at the Stephanie Alexander cooking program and is a regular educator at William Angliss College, Melbourne.
Jude studied confectionery in Germany
She gained her confectionery diploma in Germany. Jude’s skills were honed working on the factory floor with confectioners with a life-time of experience in Australia. She learnt the importance of flavour profiles, utilising simple ingredients for impactful creations and embracing the rich traditions associated with confectionery. This experience served as inspiration for her unique creations blending native food spices and teas that she has best become known for.
“Aboriginal art and culture has been and still is a life-long passion for me. I’ve been actively involved in the industry since 1990. I learnt a lot about bush tucker from the Aboriginal women, they explained and taught me so much through their vibrant and colourful paintings. The artworks, rich in history and cultural significance, told stories of survival and food gathering”.
Today Australian food is very representative of our multi-cultural population.
Restaurants, cafes and homes are using more and more Australian wild herbs and spices to create food uniting our multi-cultural background with the flavours of the bush, creating food that is uniquely Australian.
About Bush BBQ
How does Bush BBQ get it’s supply of its native bush food?
“We work directly with wild-harvesters, Indigenous communities, farmers and growers in regional and remote areas.”
“Indigenous Australians have been harvesting, collecting and making excellent use of the land’s natural resources for thousands of years,” says native bush food expert, Jude Mayall. “The unique characteristics’ of Australian spices, fruits and herbs have spectacular flavours with endless health benefits.”
Our relationship with the land, particularly if we live in a big city has been sadly eroded. Important connections to the seasons and weather patterns aren’t a consideration for many who rely solely on supermarket shopping and the frozen food cabinet!”
Do Australian native herbs and spices have much flavour?
“Yes, Australian natives really pack a flavour punch and they can really transform a dish, but use carefully to start with.
….and yes….. Australian native edible crops can be unpredictable with some seasonal variation in flavour and also availability, but whilst it’s really a part of their character and charm, it can be challenging for any chef or cook who is used to consistency with their raw ingredients.
Native ingredients really inspire a connection to the land, this is especially important in today’s fast paced and technology-driven modern world. Getting back to basics is incredibly grounding and liberating. The natural resources at our disposal produce delicious and versatile flavours that are good for us and for the environment.””
“It really is a full-circle process between the outback, the growers and myself,” says Mayall.
You also use a lot of other spices and often blend native ingredients in with your mixes why?
“I absolutely love cooking with herbs and spices.
Australia is a multi-cultural country and so is the food we eat. I often incorporate Australian native edibles into products, this makes them uniquely Australian. I think it really shows what can be done with simple, beautiful ingredients. Adding them to many of our well-known and much-loved multi-cultural dishes that we pretty much now call our own. Indian curries, Japanese sushi, Italian pasta dishes, middle-eastern, european or asian dishes using all these flavours, not only culturally acknowledges our heritage, but also honours the land of our First Nations people. I think those connections are really important for us all.”
The hospitality and distilling industry and home brewers have really embraced native botanicals….
“Both the Australian distilling and hospitality industry has been, and still are amazing and creative industries. I have a many customers who I now call friends who have been very adventurous and brave with their products. Most have had a lifetime of working within the industry, know it well and are able to gauge their customer needs and create exciting products.
I think both our Australian chefs and distillers are some of the most innovative in the world, they’ve made great inroads into a conservative industry.”
The Kitchen Playground
“ My home kitchen is my playground, here I have the freedom to explore, create and discover new flavours … my recipes can contain many contradictory elements, if they work that’s great, if not it’s all part of the learning experience and I’ve had a lot of those…”
“Today Australian food is representative of our multi-cultural population and heritage. Our native botanicals, now being used extensively, have become a defining feature of many multi-cultural menus, creating food that is uniquely Australian.”
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you” – Frank Lloyd Wright
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We love the produce from the Bush BBQ. It’s always fresh and delivered really quickly – and tastes Amazing too. I’ve recently bought several gift hampers which have been a smash hit. Happy regular customer here
As a Chief Procurement Manager for the past 15 years, I am constantly looking for amazing new products, that not only taste fantastic but also have that “Wow” factor.
Jude from The Bush BBQ is incredibly passionate about her produce, which is truly unique and delicious. It is an absolute pleasure to have The Bush BBQ product range available for my clients.