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August 9, 2026 \u2014 5:30am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Thigh-deep in the freezing shallows off South Australia\u2019s Fleurieu Peninsula, Matt Preston is gathering pipis at dawn with Ngarrindjeri fishermen for his new series, Matt Preston\u2019s Plating Locally. In the grey early hours of the morning he will cook the shellfish with pasta on the beach, signature cravat snug against the wind, with a skeleton film crew capturing the simple recipe.<\/p>\n Such working conditions are a far cry from the lavish kitchen set where he made his name, and the shiny floor studios where he dipped his toe in light entertainment (three years on he still salsas with his Dancing with the Stars partner Jessica Raffa, while The Masked Singer gifted him a thing for karaoke). But since appearing in March on SBS\u2019 The Hospital: In the Deep End, this original<\/a> MasterChef Australia judge is seeking profound connections.<\/p>\n Of course, the work of frontline medical staff that so affected him is very different to that of food producers, but Preston is determined to \u201cchoose stuff that will challenge people \u2026 it\u2019s all passion projects from now on\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cPlating Locally has a purpose, in that these stories need to be told,\u201d he says. \u201cWhether you\u2019re spending an hour in chilly, shark-infested waters off Kangaroo Island on your oyster lease, or raking pipis, or diving for abalone, or getting up at five to tend your flock \u2013 it\u2019s not easy. It\u2019s not glamorous. And it doesn\u2019t necessarily pay that well.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article On Kangaroo Island he meets oyster farmers affected by the South Australian algal bloom. \u201cWhen they couldn\u2019t work, they couldn\u2019t sell,\u201d he says. \u201cThere was that sense of them feeling abandoned, forgotten and unsupported.\u201d<\/p>\n Across six episodes Preston visits producers and growers from Margaret River and the Barossa Valley to the Limestone Coast, the Tamar and Yarra valleys, and Marlborough in New Zealand. Along with indulging his senses at wineries, a garlic farm, an artisan buttery and a cheese festival, he fly-fishes for trout and dives into a hidden farm sinkhole.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not Bear Grylls,\u201d he says, laughing. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be mindful that you\u2019re not in your natural environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Following to the source the produce he has written about for his newspaper columns<\/a> for decades proves a great joy, and an eye-opener. \u201cOh my gosh, the hazelnuts that came out of the Tamar Valley were big and juicy! And to go and look at the king salmon farms in [New Zealand\u2019s] Milford Sound and work out why they don\u2019t have the same negative connotations as we have with salmon farming, that was fascinating. That product is unbelievable. We did it raw, and just the belly flap on the barbecue. It was delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n Preston is adamant every morsel featured on the series really is as good as he says it is. \u201cWe picked up some King George whiting [from a market] to shoot in King Island,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt didn\u2019t look stunning. At the place we were staying the son said, \u2018I\u2019ll go and catch you some\u2019. He caught us three whiting. When it\u2019s that fresh, it\u2019s magical.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article Drawing the best out of those who are camera-shy is a skill Preston honed on his 11 seasons as a judge on MasterChef Australia<\/a>. \u201cPut them in an environment where they\u2019re comfortable and then they\u2019ll tell you stuff. The story can be massive or it can be really small, but equally powerful and touching.\u201d<\/p>\n There was one precious moment that was not captured on camera. \u201cWe flew out to one of the islands and the pilot\u2019s mum baked scones for us. Having a cup of tea and a warm scone on an island, those are the moments when you pinch yourself,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully, that sense of calm is what you\u2019re going to get when you watch the show \u2026 I hope people think, \u2018Gee, aren\u2019t we lucky, with this amazing landscape and seascape and the produce that comes from it?\u2019 But also how hard it is to turn a buck because everything is compared on a crazy global scale and often in an uneven playing field.\u201d<\/p>\n Matt Preston\u2019s Plating Locally premieres at 8.30pm on Wednesday, August 12, on SBS Food.<\/p>\n Want more TV? We\u2019ve got you.Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/24670228ddb420234f3ac7a39bb55571c8448654.jpeg\")
Former MasterChef Australia judge Matt Preston is engaging with local growers for his new series, Matt Preston\u2019s Plating Locally. <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786252217_127_c4188478dc6947df131122e0616e8ae31d0357f9.jpeg\")
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Matt Preston in WA\u2019s Margaret River for his new series Plating Locally. <\/p>\n![\"Gretel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a18dab19594b4703e0ce06ead861250d61928239.jpeg\")
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