Award-winning chef and food future advocate Matt Stone was in the Territory to film an episode of a new short series about food sustainability and says he was inspired by the Larrakia people’s approach to the sustainability of food.

Mr Stone said partnering with Miele ANZ for his food sustainability series enabled him to extend his explorations to the Territory, which helped share important messages around sustainable food sources and highlight the incredible stories from the creators and artisans that make the environment a priority in everything they do.

“Local councils have started incorporating the use of compost bins and is now also being taught in school,” he said.

Chef Matt Stone

“We are also seeing more investments going to community and school gardens for growing produce. This helps create a strong sustainable food foundation for the future.”

While in the NT, Mr Stone met with former footy star and co-owner of native food business Something Wild, Daniel Motlop, to get a feel for local food sustainability issues in the Territory.

“Daniel was incredible to chat to and learn from for this episode, he’s got so much knowledge and experience having worked for the Government and setting up sustainable jobs for locals,” Mr Stone said.

“With his knowledge of the land and native produce, it was amazing to learn his family traditions and harvesting techniques which have been passed down in his family. It’s also incredible to see someone be so in tune and have so much respect for the land and its offerings.”

Mr Stone said Territorians can improve sustainably in any location within the Territory starting in their own homes and supporting businesses that use and source locally grown produce.

“This could be as easy as incorporating a compost bin or worm farm at home for food scraps
and purchasing ingredients from your local market that have been grown in the area,” he said. “Produce stocked at supermarkets has travelled far to be stocked on shelves contributing to emissions that affect the environment.”

The Territory, he said, is a place where one can feel the connection and respect the people have with the land.

“Every location [travelled to for the show] was unique in itself offering different local flavours and stories, [but] exploring and learning the tricks of the trade to harvest Green Ants [in the NT] was truly an amazing experience while also learning about the world’s oldest new flavours that people are only just starting to use and explore in our country”, he said.

Green Ants are harvested ethically by the Larrakia people and go well with citrus crossed with coriander seed, which Mr Stone said makes for an amazing and exciting garnish.

“Everything in which Daniel harvests for Something Wild is treated with respect, therefore they have chosen not to send seeds down south and keep it within its local origins,” Mr Stone said.

“Instead they replant the seeds at the certain time of the season when they know it will reproduce, making their practice more sustainable and helps to protect the land. With this same respect to the local regions in mind, I wouldn’t be looking to breed green ants in Bangalow.”

Green Ant gin inspired barramundi.

Mr Stone also came up with a Barramundi recipe during his trip to the Territory using native techniques and ingredients.

“There’s just so much history and something special about using the native land offerings to make your food taste delicious,” he said.

“Using steam is also my favourite way to cook fish, the Miele Steam Combi Oven makes it so easy and is the perfect way to gently cook it through without losing any flavour or the integrity of the fish.”

He said the Territory episode widened his knowledge of the “magical place” and the importance of native produce.

“Learning traditions and harvesting techniques and experiencing people so in tune with and who have so much respect for the land … inspired me to continue to utilise more and more native ingredients in cooking to highlight the wonderful flavours we have here in our country,” he said.

Mr Stone’s advocacy for food sustainability can be seen in Miele’s Stories of Sustainability series that aims to “shine the spotlight on sustainable artisans and producers”.

The short film series follows Mr Stone and chef Jo Barrett as they meet Australian producers, growers and creators to “uncover how local artisans bring sustainability to the forefront of their craft and what drives their passion for the planet in everything they do”.

The series can be viewed here.