Sixth-generation wine producers Michael and Belinda Chambers have painstakingly renovated the original homestead over five years to offer a heritage cellar door overlooking Lake Moodemere and the Lakeside Restaurant. 

Their son, Harrison, has been instrumental in the restorative building project.

Ms Chambers said they wanted to showcase the bounty of their environment while preserving the land. 

She said the appointment of high-profile Melbourne chef Jarrod Smith last month to run Lakeside Restaurant was part of that philosophy.

“His passion for produce and love of the environment makes him a perfect fit for Lake Moodemere,” she said. 

“His experience and skill are exactly what we have been looking for to position us among the region’s best destinations.”​

Having worked at Melbourne’s Hellenic Republic, The Press Club, Mama Baba, Le Grand Cirque, Epocha and Elyros, Smith represented Elyros on The Chefs’ Line on SBS in October.

As head chef at Elyros, Smith gained a chef’s hat in his first year, which was retained in his following three years.

“Elyros was a Cretan-inspired restaurant,” he said.

“The Cretan diet uses what’s seasonal and lots of foraging; not unlike Lake Moodemere where we have the estate-grown lambs, the citrus and the beehives.”

The new Lakeside Restaurant menu features Moodemere Lamb, honey from its own hives, oranges from the century-old orchard and weeds scavenged from the vineyard.

Lake Moodemere Estate produces its own lamb with minimal handling to help produce a sweet, tender and flavoursome meat. 

Ms Chambers said when it came to wholesome food, Smith was a purist.

“He makes everything from scratch down to the butter, aioli, lavosh, pasta and even the rice crackers,” Ms Chambers said.

Lake Moodemere Estate wines are made from a single vineyard tended by seventh-generation wine producer, Joel Chambers.

The wines will be paired with a new menu at a launch at Lakeside Restaurant during April.

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