One of the many perks of living in Brisbane is that we’re not too far from charming country towns. If you drive around an hour and a half south — just below the border into New South Wales — you’ll find the stunning Tweed Coast region, where stretches of ocean meet lush farmland. If frolicking amongst sunflowers and paddock-to-plate dining sounds up your alley, be sure to visit Farm & Co.
Set on an organic family property in the heart of Cudgen, Farm & Co and Farm & Co Restaurant both offer unique paddock-side experiences.
Entry to the farm costs $7, where you can pick sunflowers, visit and feed rescue pigs, see free-range chickens running around, crack open and taste macadamias, and learn how Farm & Co grows their organic produce and sunflowers. You can also browse the farm store for fresh produce and grab a coffee from the café.
The on-site Farm & Co Restaurant, which is operated separately from the Farm & Co owners, serves up a rich paddock-to-plate dining experience with gorgeous farm views. The restaurant harvests ingredients daily from the farm, too, and utilises local organic produce for their signature dishes.
With their $69 per person signature banquet, you can indulge in wood-smoked lamb shoulder with seasonal sauces and side dishes, pizza fritta bread, ham hock and farm cabbage terrine, roasted gold band snapper with leeks and sunflower seeds, caramelised pumpkin, and a 1kg Black Angus T-Bone with Café de Paris butter.
Farm & Co Restaurant also offers a Sunday brunch menu for $39 per person, featuring everything from house-baked croissants and pan-toasted sourdough salmon and egg crumpets to yogurt pots with farm honey, oat crumble, and the neighbouring Tropical Fruit World’s fruit.
If casual picnicking is more your style, every Sunday from 10 am, there are rugs set up on the lawn to laze around on while enjoying a gourmet picnic box.
Sure, a trip to Farm & Co and back can be comfortably completed in a day, but we recommend making a weekend out of it and staying at a cosy cabin in the area.
For more information on Farm & Co, head to their website.