Dan Hunter is strolling through his orchard near Birregurra in regional Victoria. Storm clouds in 50 shades of grey are gathering over the pitched corrugated iron roof of his highly awarded cottage restaurant, Brae, and a mad bird skitters up and down the stone path, chasing insects.

Hunter is giving a guided tour to fellow chef Danielle Alvarez, with whom he is collaborating on a special series of dinners at the Sydney Opera House in January, and the two are bonding over soil regeneration and reticulated wastewater.