The Plough & Feather is an English-style gastro pub with a Northland twist, set on 215 Kerikeri Road on land the team calls the birthplace of the nation — where the first English settlers lived peacefully alongside Māori. That sense of place shapes everything here: a menu built on local, seasonal produce, beer from sister brewery Kainui Brew Co., and a stated aim to celebrate the culture, history and stories of the people and land around it.
There are two ways to visit. The Te Amotai Garden Bar runs seven days a week, rain or shine, with a covered area and heaters for cooler days — think pizzas, salads, burgers and bar snacks alongside craft beer, boutique wines and cocktails, with no bookings required. From 5pm, the indoor restaurant shifts to something more intimate, with Executive Chef Colin Ashton's à la carte and family-style dishes marrying local treasures with global inspirations. Booking ahead is recommended.
Behind the pass is Colin Ashton, a UK-born, UK-trained chef who has cooked in Wales, England, the Cayman Islands and Australia, led Kerikeri's Food at Wharepuke, run private catering company Soda Creek Kitchen, and toured the world cooking for acts including Shania Twain and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His award-winning team leans on spray-free, organic and — wherever possible — local produce, with menus refreshed daily. The Tap Room pours as many as twenty Kainui ales and lagers, the wine list features award-winning local wines, and live music regularly fills the garden bar.
Set by the river on 215 Kerikeri Road, the Plough & Feather is an English-style gastro pub with a distinctly Northland twist — and it takes that hyphen seriously. The land it stands on is where the first English settlers lived peacefully alongside Māori, what Executive Chef Colin Ashton calls "literally the birthplace of what became our Nation." Everything about the place, from the menu to the beer in your glass, is built to celebrate the culture, history and stories of the people and land around it.
The Te Amotai Garden Bar is the laid-back heart of the operation. Open seven days a week, rain or shine, it pairs alfresco tables with a covered area and heaters for when the sky turns. The food is classic garden-bar territory — delicious pizzas, refreshing salads, hearty burgers and bar snacks — matched with craft beer, boutique wines and tasty cocktails. There are no bookings here: just turn up, settle in, and let the afternoon go long.
From 5pm the indoor restaurant shifts gears. The lights come up on a more intimate room and a menu meticulously curated by Ashton that marries local treasures with global inspirations, served à la carte or family style — every meal framed as a shared journey. The team recommends booking ahead to get the best seat in the house. Lunch runs 12pm–2.30pm Monday to Friday and until 3pm on Saturdays, while coffee and pastries are available all day from 12pm. Dinner is served 5pm–9pm with last sittings at 9.
Ashton's path to Kerikeri is a story in itself. Born and trained in the UK, he cooked across Wales, England, the Cayman Islands and Australia before settling in the Far North, where he became known as Head Chef of Food at Wharepuke and the chef behind private catering company Soda Creek Kitchen. He has also toured the world with Upbeat Food, cooking for band and crew on tours for internationally acclaimed artists including Shania Twain and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
His kitchen philosophy is grounded: sustainable, spray-free, organic produce, sourced locally wherever possible, with menus refreshed daily so the finest Northland has to offer is always on the plate. He and his award-winning team have seen their recipes and write-ups appear in three major New Zealand cookbook publications. The stated aim is a menu that celebrates both cultures and honours the history of the area — food that is "approachable, harmonious with the amazing local beer and wine... and above all else, delicious."
Beer is not an afterthought here. The Plough & Feather Tap Room hosts as many as twenty locally brewed ales and lagers from sister company Kainui Brew Co., an operation that has drawn national attention. The Shout NZ praises creative craft brewers like Kainui's Gary Henwood for being "driven less by finances and more by the desire to create the perfect pint," while New Zealand Brewer credits Kainui with putting Northland "on the map in terms of craft beer." The wine list runs on the same local-first logic: a wide array of award-winning wines from the same family.
There is nearly always something on. Live music is a regular feature in the garden bar, with recent listings including Richie B, Johnie Pedro and Dann Pinkney, plus themed evenings like the International Winter Wednesday Dinners. Cooler months bring their own drawcard: relaxed riverside dining for long weekends with friends and family — the team flags the ANZAC Day break as a favourite.
Practicalities are simple: doors open at 12 noon daily, with the garden bar trading alone on Tuesdays from 12pm to 8pm while the restaurant takes a breather. Wander in for the garden bar, book for the restaurant, and check the events page before you visit — chances are someone will be playing.