Our Foodmaster Nick Reynolds stepped into the chef of the day role at short notice after our scheduled cook Peter Manners had an accident on the City to Surf. We wish him well and he will be back later in the year for his German inspired lunch. Nick was assisted by James Hill.

Canapés. Nick presented a rich chicken liver pate on Iggy’s ficelle bread sticks cut thinly. Juniper berries and brandy added so much flavour to this tasty canapé.

Aperitif wine. We started our wine journey with a Warramate Riesling 2011 (screwcap, 11.5%, Yarra). Some slight residual sugar but offset by plenty of acid. Very clean and good at its role as a cleanser with the liver pate. A bottle or two of The Yard Verve Chardonnay 2009 was also served but it was the lesser match.

Main course.  The main this week from our Foodmaster and sous vide expert, Nick Reynolds, was sliced chicken breast (sous vide of course) on a base of farro (grains of certain wheat species) cooked in chicken stock. The farro was mixed with dried apricots, pomegranate, spinach leaves and crumbled feta. Farro was a new to many and an excellent point of food education.

The chicken had a wonderfully moist and soft centre as would be expected. There were some comments that more flavour by way of sauce content and flavour would have enhanced the dish. The really mouth-watering part was the crunchy baked chicken skin with Moroccan herbs sitting atop the dish.

The wines.

• Lindemans HV Semillon Bin 8455 1994 (cork, 11.5%)
• Lindemans Eliza’s Ten Pinot Noir 2010 (screwcap, 13.5%)
• Guigal Crozes Hermitage 2009 (cork, 13.5%)
• Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (cork, 13.5%)

The first wine from Paul Ferman was the 1994 Lindies and it looked for all the world in the bottle as a sample if you know what I mean. Corks were tricky to remove but the wine was in a wonderful pristine condition. A very good example of an aged Hunter Semillon. A great joy. The Lindys Pinot was an honest workman like wine (drinkable/comfortable) which went surprisingly well with the chicken.

With the cheese there was two beaut wines but very different. The Guigal house has many fans and the 2009 Syrah was dark coloured wine with great concentration with tannins now softening. The Vasse Felix was still dark in hue with blackcurrant on both nose and palate. Good length and balance and drinking very well. A great example of a fine structured Margaret River style.

Cheese and coffee. The cheese selected by James Healey had mix of personalities. A Dutch cheesemaker making cheese in Ireland. No one picked it. Coolea turned out to be a fromage in the Gouda style made for only six months of the year but matured for up to two years. This cheese had maturity and much enjoyed.

Spencer Ferrier (in absentia) provided his second of three commercial coffee interludes with Vittoria Expresso coffee from 100% Arabica beans. A coffee of substantial weight but somewhat flat and one dimensional. Members have been spoiled by Spencer’s excursions into the high end.

As a member if you do not come to lunch this is what you miss out on.