The Stables Restaurant Matakana

One for the country bumpkins and nature lovers, The Stables Restaurant is where you'll find home-cooked country fare in a heart-warming setting.

The city might as well be on another planet! Welcome to rural bliss, where wagon wheels adorn the walls, enormous fireplaces reverberate with an amber glow and the surrounding gardens stretch for as far as the eye can see. Auckland, who? Trust us, you'll never want to leave this cosy hideaway.

Unsurprisingly, the menu is a winner, showcasing the best organic meat, spritely vegetables and freshest seafood New Zealand has to offer. From Hawkes Bay comes their lamb rump with kumara and earthy beetroot while the free-range chicken is elevated with crispy potatoes, prosciutto and decadent almond cream.

For other pub classics, look to the immense Stables beef burger with all the trimmings or the vegetarian gnocchi that's a green-themed triumph with peas, broccolini, pesto and rocket. And with wine suggestions for every dish, all the hard work's done for you! Relaxing is the only thing you should be doing on your escape to the country.