The
Good Life
Hooked and Cooked S Haslam This week I visited Liat Ben Yishay, the new owner of Hooked and Cooked fish and chips in Mullumbimby. It’s not every day you see a person who likes their job, but it was very clear that Liat really enjoys her new shop. Hooked and Cooked has been the local fish shop in Mullumbimby for over 20 years, and it’s now under new management, with new recipes and fresh wild-caught fish delivered every day. A number of years ago, Liat changed her diet to cut out chicken and red meat, and now eats a lot of fish and vegetables. It’s obviously working for her, because she is not only warmly welcoming of customers in her shop, which she calls her ‘baby’, she’s also busy and energetic. ‘I feel amazing’, she says. Her love of fish goes deeper than that – Liat’s grandfather was from Greece, and he not only loved to catch fish in the Israeli seaside town where they lived, and to cook the fish (very simply), but he also liked to sip a cup of ouzo, and tell stories to his
TOGETHER WE CAN GO PLASTIC FREE! BIOPAK 5% DISCOUNT OFFER for new members of Make the Switch Join Plastic Free Byron's Make the Switch program (it's free) and for the first 3 months enjoy a 5% discount on BioPak purchases. Make the Switch works with food retailers in Byron to help them switch away from single-use plastics. Find out more & join at: plasticfreebyron.com/join
granddaughter while they ate together. The ‘barbunya’ that her grandfather caught is a sort of red mullet, highly prized in cuisine around the Mediterranean, very low in fat and easy to digest. Perhaps growing up on freshly caught fish is what has made her so keen on wild fish. While the crumbed fish, as in most fish and chip shops, is bought frozen, the fresh fish she sells, such as snapper, barramundi, jewfish, and more, is all wild caught. ‘I am really happy that the fresh fish is wild caught’, says Liat. ‘There are many health-conscious people in Mullumbimby. I don’t believe in that system of fish farming using antibiotics, and industrial food making the fish bigger and changing their colour. But it’s not only about being free of antibiotics, it’s also about the flavour.’ Although I’m a vegetarian, I often cook Liat’s fish at home for the rest of my family, but every now and again I get the store to grill it. Talking to her
I find out that, unlike my somewhat ‘intuitive’ method, they take a very scientific approach to temperature and grill times to ensure each piece
of fish is grilled consistently, to the best quality. One thing that is very important to Liat is the environment. She’s changed to all biodegradable packaging, and even gives a small discount to people who bring their own boxes to the shop, because she doesn’t need to use her own boxes and paper to wrap the fish. People who order and dine in the shop can also use a special basket that can be washed and re-used. I ask her how she stays so friendly, given that she works six or seven days a week in the shop? ‘It’s just me’, says Liat, ‘if you feel good on the inside, that’s your outside. This is me – Hooked & Cooked’. Hooked & Cooked Mullumbimby. Fresh and cooked fish, burgers, wraps and more. Open 7 days, 10.30am–8.30pm | 64 Stuart St, Mullumbimby | Ph 6684 2146
Miracle of Beer-Water Beer Stone & Wood perform the miracle of turning water into beer on a regular basis, but how about turning the wastewater from that process back into pure water, then into beer again? In celebration of the United Nation’s World Water Day on Sunday 22 March, the local independent brewery will be offering a beer using purified wastewater to promote recycling water and water efficiency, in line with this year’s theme. The one-off limited Pilot Batch beer will be available at Stone & Wood’s Tasting Room in Byron Bay, from Sunday 22 March. The recycled wastewater beer, named Beer-Water Beer, is a 4.7% summer ale, brewed using wastewater – that is, the excess water used in the brewing process that wasn’t turned into beer – processed through Stone & Wood’s ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis (UFRO) system. Installed early 2018, the UFRO system turns brewery wastewater into perfectly usable water by stripping out all impurities, turning the hazy beige wastewater into crystal clear H20. When The Echo visited Stone & Wood three months ago, we heard that they currently only use this reclaimed water for utilities and cleaning at their Murwillumbah brewery, but, according to their
Sustainability Manager, James Perrin, there’s no reason other than stigma that stops them brewing with it. ‘All water is essentially recycled in one way or another’, James said. ‘If done properly, it is completely safe and harmless. ‘In Australia, we have a history of rejecting recycled water initiatives, yet we are one of the driest places on Earth. The water that comes out of the reverse osmosis process is as pure as you can get – great for brewing!’ James said the key to normalising the idea of recycled water is changing attitudes. ‘My hope is that by using perfectly good recycled water in this beer, it will start to overcome the stigma,
and change people’s perspectives on what sustainable water management could look like,’ he said. ‘We think people who come to our Tasting Room and try this beer on World Water Day, Sunday 22 March, will be very surprised,’ James said. Stone & Wood Tasting Room. 100 Centennial Cct, Byron Bay | stoneandwood.com.au
Happy Days Everyday 12-6pm $6 LOFT LAGER $6 LOFT WINE $10 APEROL SPRITZ $12 MARGARITA
32 The Byron Shire Echo lëſĈIJ Ǩǯǽ ǩǧǩǧ
North Coast news daily in Echonetdaily www.echo.net.au