We have a member who can’t stay out of the kitchen and we once again saw James Hill plastering over an unseen eventuality by cooking for us. James was assisted by Gary Linnane.

Canapés. The starters today were tasty and stunning. We were treated to three, the first being a prawn bisque with curry leaves, the next prawn and coconut served on a tasting spoon and the final being onion bhaji. All three were excellent with James calling in a favour from Milan at Brick Lane to produce the onion bhaji. Recycling the prawn heads from the prawn dish made a sumptuous bisque which had a beautiful curry leaf flavour. Not enough is said on the day about our starters, these deserved much praise.

Aperitif wine. Paul Ferman was back in the educational role which saw us have a Spanish wine from the Basque region, Astobiza Txakoli 2016. This is a Spanish specialty and is a blend of a number of grape varieties largely unknown to us Australians and is intended to be a high acid aperitif wine to go with the seafood. To me it was a perfect match but to those who are more comfortable with Riesling and Chardonnay it did produce somewhat of a challenge. This low alcohol, crisp fresh wine fulfilled the role as intended.

Main Course. James decided to hit us with a curry today and hit us he did. Some of us don’t handle heat particularly well and it was a little bit of a challenge but that is not the end of the story.

This was a wonderfully inventive meal and the service plate was chicken kurumnlagu, roast kerala chicken flavoured with pepper dhal red kidney, mung bean, channa dal and black lentil cooked in garam masala garlic and fenugreek with broccolini basmati and rice. Next, we come onto the sides which had a role in breaking down the heat. These were yoghurt with cucumber, banana and coconut and kachumber salad (onion, tomato, cucumber, coriander and chaat masala and lemon).

The attention to detail was clearly obvious as well as the preparation time that must gone into preparing this dish at short notice.

The Wines.

• Sebastien Brunet Vouvray 2014 (cork, 12.5%)
• Chateau de Pizay Morgon 2013 (cork, 13%)
• Chateau Guiranne Cotes de Provence Rose 2016 (cork, 12%)
• Bowen Cabernet 2005 (cork, 15%)

In discussions between Paul and James, the message became confused as James had requested a rich Shiraz to go with the curry. Never mind, we had a Vouvray and a Provence Rose. Responses were mixed but as time went on the Vouvray became the better match of the two wines as it opened up and showed the beautiful characteristics of Chenin Blanc. The Rose was bone dry with some spice but did not really shoot out the lights.

With cheese, the Beaujolais and Bowen were a distinct contrast. The Morgon Beaujolais, which we have had previously, had undergone somewhat of a transformation and become simple and boring. It has been better in the past. The Bowen at 15% attracted some comment about the alcohol and sweetness on the palate. There was a little bottle variation under this wine with cork. 15% is not unusual for sweet Australian wines but this had the impact of a wine that may have had more than 15% alcohol. Heaven forbid that a wine may label may mislead us about alcohol content.

Cheese and coffee. The cheese today came in a 4 kg round and was pasteurised goats’ milk, Caprinelle Tomme de Chevre. This originated in the Pyrenees close to the Spanish border and was a semi-hard and dense fromage with a sharp aroma of goat’s milk. The nuttiness was wonderful, and this was served with Iggy’s bread and cashew nuts. A wonderful choice by James Healey.

The coffee was Colombian, and Spencer was present to speak to it. He explained that the beans were very, very fresh and he travelled around the room stirring the lees of the coffee to ensure that the oxygen bubbles were dissipated so that the coffee grounds could do their job and not lurk near the filter of the French press. An interesting explanation and one most of this did not previously understand about ultra-fresh beans.

Paul Ferman thanked Tony Scott for a generous contribution of wine some months ago which included the Rose we enjoyed today.

James Hill went into some detail about the meal that he had planned and delivered over a short period of time.

Given so many members are away in this travel season, the numbers were excellent and atmosphere vibrant.