Food colonists found initially inside wood (9)
I believe the answer is:
beefsteak
'food' is the definition.
(beefsteak is a kind of food)
'inside wood' is the wordplay.
'inside' becomes 'beefs' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'wood' becomes 'teak' (type of timber).
'beefs'+'teak'='BEEFSTEAK'
'colonists found initially' is the link.
I am not very happy about this link. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for beefsteak that I've seen before include "Thick lean slice of meat for grilling or frying" , "something to be eaten" , "Thick cut of meat" , "used for club" , "Porterhouse, sirloin, or T-bone, for example" .)