Rum cocktails, mussels laksa and fougasse you can’t put down – if wine is all you know about this region, it’s time to dig a little deeper.

For the fougasse: Tuerong Farm

1/6

“I’m a massive fan of bread and Tuerong Farm in Tuerong is a great place to find it. Jason Cotter runs the farm and has up to several hundred different types of wheat planted. Last year, he opened a bakery and the bread is exceptional. I really like the baguettes and the fougasse. When you start, you can’t stop; you just go through the whole thing. What’s so special about Tuerong is that Jason farms for quality, nutrition and flavour.”

Image credit: Chris McConville

For the shellfish: Flinders Mussels

2/6

“Harry [Michael Harris] is a local legend. He has a mussels farm in Flinders and harvests in the first half of the year. While he’s harvesting, he has a food truck called the Flinders Conchilia at the foreshore. It’s very popular around here. He does two recipes that he’s been making for years and he’s not changing: mussels in Napoli sauce and mussels laksa. Flinders is famous because it has weedy sea dragons. They’re really easy to see just with snorkeling gear. Going to Flinders on a day off, having some of Harry’s mussels and a beer and seeing weedy sea dragons is quite dreamy.”

For the produce: Torello Farm

3/6

“A lot of people know Torello Farm in Dromana – it’s an institution down here. They sell produce from Five Tails Farm, which is right behind Torello, and started operating last year; this summer was the first harvest. They also sell a lot of produce made on the Peninsula – like Cape Schanck olive oil, which we use at Laura, and truffle products from Red Hill Truffles, who we work very closely with as well. It’s a really good spot to stop and buy a lot of things from around the area.”

For the rum cocktails: Jimmy Rum

4/6

“This is a local rum distillery in an industrial estate in Dromana that ticks all the boxes. They take a lot of pride in what they do and it’s a really fun place to go for a tasting or cocktails. I have two favourites – the Navy, which has roasted banana notes, and the Barbados, which is a dark rum with oaky notes. I’ll order any cocktail made with those. They also do snacky food to share, like arancini, chicken skewers and a flatbread that’s served with hummus, pomegranate, mint and fetta.”

Image credit: Bistro Elba

For the steak tartare: Bistro Elba

5/6

“A small bistro in Sorrento, this place is open until late so it’s very hospo-friendly. It’s quite moody at night with candles, they always have oysters and the chef does a beautiful steak tartare, plus there’s a great wine list that keeps changing. It’s close to the beach so in summer I’ll go in the daytime, have something to eat, a drink and jump in the water.”