Celebrity chef Courtney Roulston made an exciting visit to Kiama Leagues Club in search of the best club meal in the State.

Courtney was treated to head chef Sarah Rebbeck’s slow cooked roasted lamb shank combined with a cauliflower puree, asparagus, jerusalem artichokes, jus and salsa verde.

It is part of Courtney and culinary icon Matt Moran’s tour across NSW for the Perfect Plate Awards, which are designed to showcase the quality and diversity of food on offer in clubs.

Courtney and Matt – ambassadors of the competition – will be sampling as many of the 160-plus competition dishes as possible.

Courtney and Matt both started their careers in clubs

“I want to see clubs utilise as much fresh, local produce as possible and plate up dishes that take them out of their comfort zone a little bit,” says Matt, who is excited to see what clubs submit. 

“I know there is a plethora of talent in club kitchens and Perfect Plate is a fantastic way for chefs to demonstrate their skills and really impress the public.”

Courtney says club food has come a long way in the last 10 years.

Courtney with Sarah's entry [Image by Brendon, Kiama Leagues Club events manager]

“I think people are going to be blown away with the calibre of the dishes that clubs have entered in Perfect Plate this year,” she says.

The public are encouraged to take part in the annual awards by tasting their club’s Perfect Plate dish and rating it. Prizes are on offer for the two diners who vote for the most dishes.

The 13 clubs that receive the highest average score for their dishes based on patron ratings will be crowned the winner of their respective region, with three state-wide winners announced in small, medium and large club categories.

The ‘Your Local Club Perfect Plate Awards’ are now in their third year, with a tofu dish taking out the top spot in the state-wide large club category last year, challenging the notion of what many would consider a typical club meal.

Vote before 9 July here.

See Courtney's famous Chilli Salt Prawns recipe here.