The food scene in this nook of NSW is going gangbusters

The supercharged food scene of The Tweed promises many surprises.

IN the middle of a brutal COVID-19 Sydney lockdown, super-chef Christine Manfield packed up her home and relocated nine hours north.

She had spent many happy summer holidays in The Tweed - mostly at the luxurious Halcyon House in Cabarita.

But now her move to NSW's northernmost region was permanent.

It hasn't taken her long to supercharge the local food scene. At the end of October, she's helping launch Savour the Tweed with local food advocate Amy Colli, The Tweed Tourism Company and Tweed Shire Council.

The five-day food festival will feature more than 20 free and ticketed events from a taco truck lunch and an "eat the rainbow" kids' cooking class to a chilli crab feast and First Nations food storytelling with bunya nut cocktails.

It makes sense - this fertile food bowl is packed full of farmers, growers, gardeners, producers, chefs, baristas, cheesemakers, brewers and foodies and is known for its lush red soil and great produce.

"It's the third most biologically diverse region in Australia after Kakadu and the Daintree," says our guide Alex Baker from local experiences company Kiff and Culture, reeling off a shopping list of local produce, from sweet potatoes to avocados to sugarcane. "It's a food-lover's dream."

It's a region which has been through a lot of turmoil, including their worst ever flood event of last year. But they are passionate about sharing the spoils of their region with one another - and their guests.

Dining here is immersive, fresh, educational and special. Here are five of the best places to eat.

Originally going viral for its rows of photogenic sunflowers, this restaurant/farm/store is so much more than that.

Feast on its regularly changing seasonal menu then take a farm stroll to meet Hank the (enormous) pig, who has been rehomed here after being raised in a house, taking bathroom showers and watching television. There's also Hank's porky buddy Pepe and Lenny the pooch, who features in a lot of weddings here.

Owner Michele Stephens originally ran avocados on the farm but a course in organics changed everything. She started multi-cropping, planting those famous sunflowers to attract the bees and raising pigs, chickens and cows for fertiliser and to reduce waste.

The PLB-run paddock-to-plate restaurant offers a popular Sunday Brunch, as well as a coal barbecue on Thursdays and the $69 banquet on Fridays and Saturdays.

For Savour the Tweed, they will host the Farm Kitchen highlighting organic produce with cookbook author and TV personality Belinda Jeffrey.

Loved by locals - many who must have arrived via the Teslas lined up out the front - this is one of the most awarded restaurants in NSW, and well worth the steep, winding drive to get to Carool.

Before entering the cosy homestyle restaurant, be sure to tour the lush grounds, featuring delicious fresh finger limes, fennel, wild raspberries, purple cauliflower, rainbow carrots, lychees and star fruit.

There's separate raised herb and vegetable gardens out the front that the chefs use constantly, another bed for Indigenous plants including saltbush and native mints, and flower beds for tables and pollination.

Owner Peter Burr says their signature dish is apparently the Caribbean fish stew but two weeks later we are still dreaming about the lobster in butter. Yum.

They're planning a Fire to Fork feast featuring flame-grilled, charred and smoked foods with local chef and "fire whisperer" Wal Foster.

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Built in 1907, this character-filled former boarding house and grand home is a local institution, evidenced by the tables filled with happy multi-generations tucking into rabbit ragout and 12-hour-cooked pork roast.

With great service and cosy, decadent decor including Parisian wallpaper and a giant chandelier brought from London, it's the type of place where you can linger over your food and wine - there's an excellent regional wine list - or perhaps a Summer in Paris cocktail or two.

Their event, Hinterland on a Plate, will showcase the Tweed's delicious spring produce over five courses.

On a roaming lawn laid out with umbrellas and picnic rugs, groups of happy people tuck into rum and gin-tasting flights, or stroll around taking photos of the friendly cows.

Husk became Insta-famous for (and sold out of) their ink gin - it's blue but turns pink when mixed with tonic water - after celebrity Margot Robbie posted a shot of her drinking it.

Known for its large shared menus, sustainable ethos and ex-Noma chef Ben Devlin, who makes everything from scratch - such as ice creams, bread and the jars of pastes and potions lining the bench.

Meals are creative, passionate and divine, with delectable delights such as pickled octopus with smoked poblano dressing, a simple but delightful radicchio salad with duck and quince vinegar and melt-in-your-mouth Atherton raspberries with caramelised milk.

Chef Ben will collaborate with marine scientists from Algamarine for a four-course "Ocean to Plate" lunch, showcasing "creative uses" of edible seaweeds.

Getting there: Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin all have multiple flights to the Gold Coast from most capital cities. From there, Tweed Heads is a 20-minute drive.

Staying there: Oaks Casuarina Santai Resort is perfectly located close to the beach with a pool, spa and (if you're still hungry) top-rated Thai restaurant, The Spice Den. From $234 a night for a studio courtyard apartment. oakshotels.com

Explore more: Savour the Tweed runs from October 30 to November 3.

The writer was a guest of Visit The Tweed.