Earlier this year we promised we would share with you a little about the native Australian ingredients we choose to work with. Here we are, somewhat later than intended (where did that time go?), with one of our absolute favourite ingredients and one that many of you will fall in love with - Native River Mint.
What is Native River Mint?
Native River Mint (Mentha australis) is a relative of peppermint and spearmint, however has a unique refreshing taste all of its own. It is found naturally on riverbanks across most states of Australia, is relatively easy to grow for gardening enthusiasts and works well as a traditional mint substitute in cooking.
How does M&P flavour chocolate with it?
We began working with Native River Mint from the inception of M&P, and grow it in our garden, but have been limited to its use because of its lack of availability in oil form. Oil must be used when crafting a chocolate bar, as chocolate is fat-based and if mixed with a liquid containing water will often seize the chocolate, rendering it unable to be tempered. Not to be dissuaded, we undertook the complex task to distill our own and are delighted with the results.
Which M&P chocolates contain Native River Mint?
Our very first batch of Native River Mint and Dark Chocolate bars, using smooth French dark Valrhona chocolate, will be available closer to Christmas. It’s one of our favourite bars already and is ridiculously addictive.
