In the second of the cook offs for the 2013 COTY, Nigel Burton re-entered the lists, assisted by Paul Irwin and with canapés by Hilton Chapman. These featured duck prepared at home by Hilton, a nicely rustic duck pate served on thin toasts and a lively but not overwhelming red duck curry reduction, served on porcelain spoons. Accompanied by the usual assorted offerings from the wine master, this time a youthful 1999 Lindemans sparkling red, a Lustau manzanilla sherry and a cider of all things, it provided a brisk start to the meal.

To his credit, Nigel repeated the dish that got him there, racks of lamb. Of course, it was not the best time of year for spring (autumn?) lamb, and the racks, whist they had plenty of flavour, were a bit chewy and big enough to satisfy even Sam Kekovich. But they were beautifully cooked and presented, accompanied by a fine butternut and potato mash, an even finer mound of caramellised onion and mushroom, and some imported asparagus which did the job but only just. Nigel generously provided a 2002 Burton Coonawarra cabernet, which was matched with a Bowen cabernet from the same year. Opinions were divided, but a consensus favoured the more stylish and restrained Burtn to the big and bountiful Bowen.

The cheese was a D’Affinois surface-ripened beauty from the Alpes-Rhone region of France. Although only a single cream, it had rich buttery notes in the paste, contrasting nicely with a slightly lactic aftertaste. With it, and a green salad of baby spinach and warm fresh figs dressed with more than a hint of truffle oil, were a 2002 Ebenezer Barossa cabernet and a 2004 Elderton Shiraz from the same region. The first showed good sweet fruit but with none of the depth and style of the earlier Coonawarras, while the Elderton typified Barossa shiraz ; big hot fruit on the nose and palate, oodles of flavour and a good, slightly cleansing finish.

The coffee came from Honduras on Spencer Ferrier’s world tour, light in the US Style with some slightly burnt notes. Worthwhile, but not outstanding. Unlike the amazing Lustau pedro ximenes “sherry” (more like an Oz tokay) which Paul Ferman presented as a farewell gesture to President Steve Liebeskind at the end of his term.