Google the tiny town of Hampton, about a two-hour drive west of Brisbane, and it’s not the region’s rolling green hills or lush farming area that pops up, but a picture of casual cafe-cum-restaurant Emeraude. And it’s because owner and chef Amanda Hinds has been putting this sleepy picturesque destination on the map with her standout cuisine, old-fashioned, charming hospitality and pure passion for this little patch of the Darling Downs.

Emeraude has become “the spot” for the weary traveller, the road-tripper and the holiday-maker, adored for its simple, unpretentious menu that changes daily depending on what local farmers drop off that morning.

There’s a purity to Hinds’s food, with the chef understanding when to let the produce speak for itself and when to push it in exciting new ways.

Take a simple pizza, for instance, topped with potato, rosemary and Manuka honey pork sausages from local butcher Toni’s Meats, on a focaccia-like base that is the perfect blend of homely comfort and restaurant flair. Or a vintage cheese brulee, with a just-set fromage mixture under a cracking toffee top waiting to be dipped into with the sweetest of in-season veg. A tight, food-focused wine list is in play, but better yet, order a gin spritz using a syrup made from local rosellas and soak up the sun in the wisteria-lined outdoor courtyard.