Ms Newell, a food industry personality who created the “Paddock to Plate” pasture-fed beef promotion of a decade ago, believes our food choices should recognise our hunter-gatherer ancestry - for our own benefit, and for the benefit of the planet.

The underlying motto of the club might be, “never reach for a packet”. Instead, Ms Newell wants to encourage people to eat fresh food from sustainable sources, wild or farmed.

The inaugural Hunter Gatherer event, to be held at Mulloon Creek Natural Farms near Bungendore, throws down the challenge: preparing a luncheon feast from ingredients that have gone through no more than secondary production, like slaughter, fermenting, separating, curdling and desiccating.

That challenge will be picked up by four of Australia’s top chefs: James Kidman, National Gallery of Australia (ex Otto); Raymond Kersh, Edna’s Table; Damien Pignolet, Bistro Moncur and Richard Purdue, Belinda Franks Catering.

The Mulloon Creek lunch will feature wild species—venison, wallaby and duck; and fresh farm-sourced products: beef from Angus and Devon herds, Wessex Saddleback pork and fresh Jersey milk and cream; locally sourced trout and yabbies; biodynamic eggs; honey, berries, herbs, wild greens and vegetables from the farm garden.

The Mulloon Creek Hunter Gatherer lunch will be held on March 21, and includes a panel discussion, “Out of the Pyramid and Back to a Square Meal”, with nutritionists and environmentalists.

* For more information, visit www.thehuntergathererdinnerclub.c om.au or www.themullooninstitute.org