The story
With word organically spreading about Farm & Co, it was a logical next step for Michele, her partner Ian Kettle and the passionate team to essentially practise what they preach and put their own produce on the plates. After months of construction, the purpose-built cafe – featuring high ceilings, sleek timber furnishings and seating inside and out – finally opened to the public. Whether you’re down there for your weekly fresh-food shop, snapping away during sunflower season or visiting the piggies, you can now stick around and enjoy breakfast, brunch, lunch, or coffee and cake overlooking the expansive Farm & Co grounds.
The cafe
Kirra roaster Zephyr Coffee Co is providing the specialty beans, which are pouring from Wednesday to Sunday. The wholesome menu is solely vegetarian (with plenty of vegan variations) and changes with the seasonality of the produce. For breakfast, enjoy the likes of simple farm-fresh eggs on The Bread Social sourdough, a maple-roasted granola with fresh fruit and coconut yoghurt, and the colourful Vegan Breakfast with cashew cheese, roasted tomato, mushrooms, avocado and sauerkraut. Come midday, there’s smaller bites like pulled jackfruit tacos, antipasto platters with grilled and pickled vegetables, and salt-crusted kipflers with coriander and apple sauce. Whatever is hand-picked that morning will determine Farm & Co’s salad of the day, while those looking to fill the gap can opt for the sweet-potato jungle curry, the mushroom ragout served in a nest of shredded sebago potatoes, and the local blue cheese and roasted-fennel tart. Finish it off with a stout-infused chocolate brownie or a raw carrot and ginger cake with a rich maple-and-cashew cream. Trust us, there is nothing more gratifying than slowly devouring a plate of produce knowing that it was pulled from the soil a mere 50 metres away.
The farm and stall
When you get to Farm & Co., you just slow down. It’s like a switch. As soon as you park and walk in, give the resident farm dog Shari a pat and breathe in the fresh air, you forget about the daily hustle and bustle. Instead, your attention turns to Chickpea – Farm & Co’s new black Angus calf – and her friends, resident pigs Hank, Pepe and Bean, and the lush surrounds of the wondrous Cudgen Road property that they all call home. Both the farm and produce stall are open to the public seven days a week, while the cafe is currently operating Wednesday to Sunday. The stall is brimming with farm-fresh produce, pantry items, condiments and more – though no visit is complete without a stroll through the farm. You’ll often see Michele and her team hard at work harvesting, planting and maintaining their organic crops, you can snip your own sunflowers, zen out in the hammocks beneath the trees, crack open macadamia nuts and, if you’re lucky, you’ll catch Hank and the chickens at feeding time (it’s quite a sight).
For opening hours and contact details, head over to our Stumble Guide.
