The rustic café is run by Matt Dillow who offers all-day breakfast options such as French toast with fresh strawberries, chantilly cream and maple syrup, a breaky roll with American streaky bacon, fried eggs, cheddar and smokey BBQ sauce and a scattering of rocket. Sign up for a classic French or Italian cooking class and pick up a special hamper filled with produce such as olive tapenade, quince jam, preserved lemon to level up your cheffing skills at home.

The charming eatery is housed in an old stone and wood cottage built in 1932 that has a rich history of serving food along the Hunter River. Adjust your waistband to better enjoy the vego brekky with spinach, avocado, roast tomato, garlic mushrooms and crispy chats. Stay overnight at the beautifully renovated Myrtle Cottage next door so you can enjoy a leisurely breakfast and then slink back into bed.

Mockingbird Café in Newcastle is opening a sister site at Tatler Wines. And given the café is considered one of the best places to eat in Newcastle, we imagine it will act like a lure to the hordes of tousle-haired surfers looking to jump in the old jalopy for a jaunt to the Hunter Valley when the surf is flat.

Be one of the first through the doors to enjoy a Buddha bowl or corn fritters where you will find fresh, vibrant flavours at every turn. Groups who enjoy bubbles over breakfast can also proceed to Restaurant Cuvee at Peterson House for a glass of the house sparkling alongside vanilla bean pancakes or eggs Bennie.

Thirsty, hungry travellers should factor in a visit to Usher Tinkler Wines to enjoy a platter of salumi alongside stellar local varietals from this next-gen winemaker’s cellar, regarded as one of the best in the mix of Hunter Valley wineries.

Divvy means to ‘divide up and share’ and divvy dishes define the menu at Wandin Wine Bar & Diner, a haven for foodies visiting the Hunter Valley. The Lovedale locale is a fine example of a restaurant with rooms, located as it is on the wider Wandin Valley Estate near to accommodation options such as Villa Isabella and The Barn, which overlook the vineyards. Everything, from the spicy lamb cutlets with couscous and hummus to fried goat’s cheese balls with caramelised onions and honey is elevated to outstanding thanks to this bucolic country setting and chef John Rutherford’s attention to detail.

If you really want to make the most of a trip to wine country then book ahead at Muse Restaurant, the two-hatted restaurant that is one of the Hunter Valley’s main draws. It’s easy to fall under executive chef Troy Rhoades-Brown’s spell in the elegant dining room, where savvy wait staff pirouette around the tables. Rhoades-Brown marries French technique with local ingredients to deliver crowd-pleasing dishes such as Sebago potato and speck fondant, cured yolk, thyme, mushroom and black truffle or the lightly charred Paroo kangaroo with fermented Nashi pear, macadamia pickled onion, sage and sun rose.

The restaurant is housed in a landmark 1820s slab that has, at different times over the past 200 years, been home to a blacksmith, pie man and clairvoyant. Beyond the incredible food prepared by chef Sheldon Black, dinner here is an exploration of the wines produced at Daniel and Jane Maroulis’s East Gresford vineyard, first established by Charles Boydell in 1826.

Co-owner Daniel O’Leary (ex-The Dock, in Redfern) is a proud Bundjalung man and he peppers the menu with native bush foods.

Yellow Billy (a.k.a. William White) was also a forager who lived off the land so it only seems right to light a fire in his honour: the custom-made fire pit here is used daily to cook proteins and vegetables, which are served in the centre of the table to share. Everything is better with a bit of smoke and char: expect fireworks with brown-ale braised brisket with fried Brussel sprouts and ginger roasted pumpkin.

The Mill located on the grounds of Estate Tuscany is one of the destination diners in the upper Hunter Valley and although the restaurant offers magic mountain views, its executive chef William Townsend’s contemporary take on comfort food that will really turn your head. Order the 72-hour slow-cooked, hoisin, bone marrow croquette, carrot anise puree and spring onion with baked Brussel sprouts and you will feel the chef’s devotion to his craft.

The best time to visit this #fawkingawesome bakery is for breakfast: order the delectable sourdough topped with barbecue-glazed thick-cut belly bacon and free-range eggs. If you’re feeling really indulgent, try the oven-baked pancakes with caramelised apple, Chantilly cream, macadamia crumb and maple syrup with a piccolo on the side.

The breakfast boards here are worthy of applause from the good-natured crowds who converge here over coffee and cake around communal tables. Set in Peppers Creek Village in the heart of the Hunter, the menu at the frantically busy cafe highlights all that is wonderful at the local markets.

Groups who enjoy bubbles over breakfast can also proceed to Restaurant Cuvee at Peterson House for a glass of the house sparkling alongside vanilla bean pancakes or eggs bennie.

Muse Kitchen is the sister venue to the two-hatted Muse Restaurant and a plush place to avoid the swilly tourists over a languid lunch.

Leaves & Fishes is another local institution. Sit in the dining room, which is saturated in sunshine and order fresh king prawn linguine, with garlic peas or crisp-skinned pork belly with hummus, spiced chickpeas and honey-roasted carrots.

Margan is renowned for its inspired approach to agri-dining and sustainability and the rammed-earth restaurant is the place to enjoy the farm-to-fork tasting menu of your dreams. When in season, order Margan Suffolk lamb with kohlrabi, potato and garlic with a glass of the Margan Breaking Ground Tempranillo Graciano Shiraz 2015.

The modern Italian restaurant is run by multi-hatted executive chef Cameron Matthews whose menu will suit those in the mood for food that is Italian with a twist, running from wild weed spaghetti with Fraser Island spanner crab and lemon to Merrifield suckling pork with polenta and grilled greens. Enjoy a bottle of local wine on the side.

British-born Bremerkamp pays strict adherence to local produce and seasonality with the menu inspired by the huge kitchen garden he tends to each day. Vegans will find the restaurant worth the detour for the mushroom risotto alone.

Expect highly seasonal dishes such as a ballotine of Little Hill Farm chicken, medley of mushrooms and gnocchi with truffle butter or a bowl of mussels mariniere with a hint of chilli.

Whether you sit at the bar watching chef Frank Fawkner plate up at the pass or in the restaurant surrounded by handcrafted furniture and local art, you should expect a bit of pre-dinner theatre. The menu changes frequently as Fawkner’s focus is on seasonal dishes such as Warroo kangaroo, pumpkin, macadamia and saltbush.

While the restaurant’s interior is a neutral clean Scandi palette, the balcony pops given its proximity to these patches of green. Order a bottle of wine – perhaps a Bimbadgen Shiraz Viognier 2017 – with a main course of lavender honey duck with cassis gel, carrot puree and red wine jus and then exit stage left via helicopter.

Duncan has worked for the Dorchester Hotel (three Michelin stars) and Claridge’s Hotel (one Michelin star) in London and was executive chef at Level 41 and The Establishment in Sydney: try the spanner crab dumplings or the lightly peppered kangaroo loin with pickled fennel, quinoa pilaf and plum compote