He came, he tasted and he’ll be back!
Lately, Matt Preston’s Instagram feed has been filled with images of Sri Lanka: Sigiriya rock, cashew nut curry studded with peas, cobs of corn being steamed at a roadside kade.
Online, the MasterChef Australia judge found himself bombarded by local fans wanting to meet him and recommendations on what he should do. In the meantime, he’s developed a passion for thambili, and dubbed buffalo curd and kitul treacle his “food heaven.”
MasterChef among the chefs: Matt Preston enjoying the fare prepared by the chefs of Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana
As the world’s most famous cooking competition enters its 8th season, Preston, the show’s flamboyant food critic, is much beloved by fans all around the world.
In this email interview with the Sunday Times, he shares some of his favourite moments in Sri Lanka so far, confesses that he has evolved as a judge from being “bombastic” to being as honest as he can be, and tells fans what we can expect from the new season of Masterchef Australia.
- You’ve said that you have long wanted to visit the island – what first inspired your fascination with Sri Lanka?
It started watching Duran Duran’s “Save a Prayer” video but it’s grown over the years with my experiences with Sri Lankan family restaurants in Melbourne (where I fell in love with seeni sambol, hoppers and string hoppers) and the fact that we have a number of good friends from Sri Lanka who live in Melbourne and are the most enthusiastic advocates for visiting the island.
- In what ways did the country both live up to and challenge your preconceptions?
It exceeded them – it is such a unique place with lovely generous people and a wonderful “can do” attitude. I expected it to be far more challenging in terms of organisation.
I also wasn’t expecting the amazing diversity of fruit and veg. I especially loved gal siyambala, kohiladalukohiladalu, properly cooked drumstick and, of course, jakfruit both curried and tempered.
Wood apple, soursop and nelli also seemed very well suited to turning into ice cream – tried some crackers made by chef Sunandra at Cinnamon Lodge in Habarana.
- Any particular recommendations to fellow travellers from this trip?
Travel round the country clockwise from Colombo so you view the key sites in historical order. It makes it far easier to unravel and understand Sri Lanka’s complex and rich history – and to appreciate the full wonder of the world that are the country’s ancient hydraulic and irrigation works.
Also travel by train at least once, visit a tea factory, eat as many egg hoppers as you can, and take advantage of keen hotel prices to stay in the sort of glamorous places you could never afford in Europe.
Flamboyant chef with his signature cravat
- How has your approach and your philosophy as a judge evolved on Masterchef? Is it difficult to be authentic and honest within a reality T.V format?
Gee, great question. The three of us were pretty raw when we started but from the first day we all agreed to avoid the cliché of the mean judge and instead to be encouraging and respectful to our charges.
That hasn’t changed, neither has the imperative that we set back then that the dish we’d most like to order again is the one that wins. I think we have become ever more trusting in what we call the food gods.
The TV people hate it when we eliminate a ratings-winning, fan favourite like Hadyn Quinn or Marion Gadsby when theirs is the worst dish but this is proof of the integrity of the show.
Wonderfully our audience is sophisticated so they appreciate this and stay with us. We point to this as proof that if you respect the food gods (basically the truth) then you will be rewarded. It’s become a bit of a mantra.
Personally, I have also learnt so much more about food, cookery and kitchens over the last seven years making the show and working with the boys.
This has also strengthened and clarified my understanding of what makes a better dish and a better cook so making me better as a judge and a mentor.
The almost-instant success of the show meant I don’t think any of us appreciated the uniqueness of the show and what a privilege it was to do at first.
It was such a whirlwind with all the media obsession, all the awards and the crazy ratings (we became the top rated TV show in Australian history – a title that we are very proud that MasterChef still holds).
Looking back I feel some of my delivery however became a little bombastic.
I think we all “performed” whereas I think the real joy about MasterChef is when you see the three of us enjoying each other’s company, that of the contestants and the food as we would even if the TV cameras weren’t rolling. I now seek not to perform but to be as honest as possible about what I feel and think.
Overall I’ve realised MasterChef is best when it is a “real” as possible. This is something that is a bit of an anathema for much reality TV.
The days are long but they don’t seem like hard work anymore. They are a pleasure. I think that has shown in the last two seasons. We are all much more relaxed and having loads of fun.
Also with the success of so many contestants after the show, I also see more clearly the responsibility that comes with helping people turn their dreams into reality – and the fact that we do have the power to help change lives.
- You have a faithful audience for Masterchef in Sri Lanka – in what stage are the preparations for the new season?What can we expect of episodes to come?
We start shooting season 8 on Wednesday week. I’m excited to get back into harness and find some more inspiring home cooks we can develop.
With season 6 and 7, I think we have finally found the essence of what makes the show so loved – so hopefully more of the same! So, good people with tangible food dreams (that they are keen to follow) constantly surprising us with the creativity and deliciousness of their cooking who we can help develop further.
We’ve also got some of the most amazing cooks and chefs from around the world lined up to inspire and challenge our next crop of contestants – I reckon this is the best line up ever.
The initial auditions have already found some great amateur cooks for us to pick from but then, given how amazingly this year’s crop has been, we need to!
- No doubt we’ll be seeing more of your cravats when the new season debuts. You were very young when you bought your first cravat – not too many 18-year-olds would have had the panache to don one. Why did you?
Back then I had no money, was a punk and could only afford to shop in second hand and charity shops.
Scarves were cheap and perfect for covering my chest where the buttons of my shirt were ripped off in the mosh pit! My scarves and cravats have become far more elegant over the years!
- Any particular personal projects or publications that you are working on or that are coming up that you could talk to us about?
My fourth cookbook “The Simple Secrets (of Cooking Everything Better)” comes out in November, is very much a guide to better cooking with loads of tips and tricks that I’ve collected over 30 years of cooking and learning off some of the best chefs and cooks in the world – so there’s publicity for that to be done.
Then there’s my weekly and monthly food columns to be written as I feel it’s very important to continue to do my “day job” while I’m filming MasterChef as TV is such a fleeting thing and could be gone tomorrow.
Also I get real pleasure from writing about food! And then there’s working out how to get back to Sri Lanka soon! There are couple of things I’m already working on there!!! Is it July that the Aussie cricket team is coming? Maybe I need to work on my leg spinners to earn a baggy green cap!