Listen: Whole-animal eating

10 August 2026 First published RNZ

We're often encouraged to eat lean cuts of meat and leave the rest behind.

But butcher and chef Nick Thomson believes we're losing something valuable in the process.

His new book, Marrow: Whole Animal Eating, is a celebration of nose-to-tail cooking, exploring the traditions, techniques and flavours that come from making use of every part of the animal.

Marrow also happens to be the name of his original Orewa butchery, with an expanded site at Devonport and a presence at Hobsonville's Farmers' Market.

He joined Susie (filling in for Kathryn Ryan) on RNZ's Nine to Noon programme to talk about the philosophy behind whole-animal eating, why it's making a comeback, and what he hopes readers will discover in the kitchen.