SHORT of handing out mushroom cheerios to kids, a News South Wales butcher established the world's first "mushroom meatery" to help promote the fungi last month.
Coogee-based Kingsmore Meats, partnered with Australian Mushrooms and celebrity chef Adam Liaw, established a deli of all things meat and mushrooms to highlight the pairing of the two foods.
The limited-edition dishes, which included Malaysian mushroom curry and portobello mushroom and herb sausages, were available from May 13 to 22.
The collaboration came about after research revealed ingredients matter most to Aussie home cooks - with three-quarters (75 per cent of a Pureprofile survey on behalf of Australian Mushrooms) saying the ability to control what ingredients they use is what they loved most about home cooking, and half (51pc) saying they enjoyed sourcing fresh ingredients, such as quality meats, mushrooms or vegetables.
Mr Liaw said Australia was home to some of the best fresh produce in the world.
"We're fortunate enough to live in a country where it is easily accessible from our local grocer or butcher," he said.
"It's fantastic to see Aussies embracing these world-class ingredients and celebrating them in home-cooked meals."
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Joel Houghton of Kingsmore Meats has managed customer recipe requests, inspirations, and requests for prep help for many years.
"The pandemic meant people had more time to cook and experiment with their cooking," Mr Houghton said.
"Every day, we had numerous customers coming in asking for expert advice on how to cook their fresh produce and for recipe ideas to make at home.
"We love to experiment with our meat cuts to see what other products we can offer.
"Australian mushrooms have a firm texture and meaty flavour, so they're perfect to blend in with the meat, without taking away the meat flavour."
Earlier this year, Australian Mushrooms recent launched its "Mushrooms + Mince = The Blend" consumer campaign involving television chef Adrian Richardson lending his name and expertise to fungi cooking.
It encouraged consumers to blend mushrooms and mince to use in various recipes.
Alongside the one-off menu items such as chicken and mushroom nuggets and mushroom and brisket ragu, the Mushroom Meatery also housed a "Mushroom Pick and Mix" complete with buttons, cups, flats, portobello and Swiss brown mushroom varieties.
The survey found one in three Aussies (32pc) were making an effort to have dedicated meat-free days, with more than half of Aussies (53) eating the same amount of meat.
Mushroom grower Georgia Beattie from Bulla Farm said adding the "mighty mushie" can transform a meal as they are super little packages, containing a bundle of nutrients while being low in fat.
"Australian mushrooms are available all year round with the majority being grown located near our capital cities," Ms Beattie said.
"I'm proud to be one of the 77 plus Australian mushroom growers in the country."
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