Stephen Nairn is adding a spoonful of “magic” honey to the jus for a dish of lamb sweetbreads at his double-hatted Melbourne restaurant Omnia Bistro and Bar.

The honey comes from the pollen of Alpine gums in Benalla, about 210 kilometres northeast. More than simply injecting flavour into the dish, its magic is in the natural flavanone pinocembrin, an ingredient with properties that potentially tackle some neurodegenerative diseases.