🍝 TOP HAT TIPS: MATT PRESTON
in cravat we trust
Good evening everybody!
Look at that frog. I’m really loving the way its arse folds back into itself. This little guy is shameless about his tiny ass and he does not long for a BBL.
I’ve been staring at that pic for a while now. Do you think that frog is dead?
If so, may his ill-proportioned ass rest in peace. To be sure I just Googled ‘how long do green tree frogs live’ and guess what? They can live for up to twenty years.
Twenty years!!
He could have been born in 2001, which would make him older than Mean Girls. Was he conceived in the same year as iTunes, and was a U2 album was downloaded onto his iPod without his consent? He may have witnessed 9/11. Did he do it? And if he did, is Bono to blame?
Heaps of important questions there, but it’s time we hop to tonight’s TOP HAT TIPS.
They’re served up by none other the culinary world’s forefather of fashion – the proprietor of Purple Suits Pty Ltd – Matt Preston.
are they suede boots, replete with cuban heel? I can’t
I’ve always had a misplaced fascination with the former MasterChef judge. I say misplaced because I never actually watched the show. But something I did watch was the intro, on repeat, on YouTube.
Nothing beats listening to Katy Perry’s smash hit ‘Hot N Cold’ while contestants earnestly toss woks and salt wings in slow motion, smiling like they’re being held ransom and if they don’t comply George Calombaris will force feed them inhumane amounts of YoChi.
sis needs help
I think Matt Preston is great because he brought class and composure to demonically chaotic television format.
His flamboyance was a welcome deviation from the buffet of boringly-dressed men who dominate our TV screens. No shade to Gary, but there’s only so many navy suits one nation can take.
His new book, ‘World Of Flavour’, is available now. And can I just say, it is delicious. The title may not be as exciting as the below, but it’s a fab stocking filler nonetheless.
What are you waiting for? Take that cotton napkin off your plate, place it on your lap and let’s dig in.
Here are Matt Preston’s TOP HAT TIPS.
F: Your enthusiasm for cravats is well documented. What is your second favourite accessory?
MP: My RM Williams boots. I have about 20 pairs including the famous pony skin ones… Relax, they aren’t made with real pony…
F: You can only wear one colour for the rest of your life. What do you choose?
MP: Emerald green.
F: You are responsible for one of the most iconic moments in Australian televisual history. Witnessing you drop a plate of ravioli and describe it as "disgusting...ly good" changed my life. Did you think it would go on to become a huge meme? What was the reaction on set?
MP: Nah, it was just one of those things you do to try and disrupt the TV clichés – like taking Audra’s raspberry tart into the balcony in auditions and then egging on the already selected contestants to demand the judges gave her an apron, riffing about dragon’s breath while filming in the middle of a Hong Kong hurricane, texting photos of great contestants’ dishes to their culinary heroes during a tasting, or declaring a winner without the cod-theatre delay of deliberation when it’s an obvious decision. Good TV should surprise as much as it reassures.
F: What is your favourite song of all time?
MP: Depends on my mood…
FROOMY INTERJECTION: Matt wrote a list of songs, here they are in playlist form:
F: Earlier in your career, you wrote for TV shows like Neighbours and Home & Away. Where does your heart lie – Ramsay St or Summer Bay?
MP: I wrote “about” them both for five years for UK magazines… But I was lucky enough to do a cameo in Neighbours with Dr Karl which was a career highlight. I did however also work in the Summer Bay coffee shop one summer.
F: I am a writer. What's your #1 tip for becoming a better one?
MP: Write for your reader not for yourself, people you want to impress or the subject you are writing about.
F: Your book is an eclectic collection of yummy recipes. You've also written about the history of many of the dishes you feature. What's the weirdest food fact you uncovered while writing?
MP: That the first spag bol recipe was published in Adelaide; that Thailand’s Massaman curry originally had orange juice added to it (and this is delicious); that pavlova IS Australian and not a New Zealand creation.
Also that ceviche predated Spanish colonisation of Peru’s by hundreds of years, and that Wadawurrung people have been cooking mussels for 12,000 (but probably far longer)…
Ooh the list goes on that’s why writing the book was such fun I was uncovering wild new stuff every day.
F: Is there a certain book – besides World of Flavour, of course – that you'd recommend to people who have no fking idea how to cook?
MP: Look for the five star reader rated recipes at taste.com.au. Then you know they are fail safe. If it’s a book then Gary Mehigan’s epic new tome or pretty much anything from Karen Martini would be my picks.
F: You have always dressed flamboyantly on TV. I'm inspired by your style. Have you always taken fashion risks?
MP: Yes and all my friends thought I was a bit weird. We’d all go op shop shopping and they’d find nothing and I’d come out with loads of bags of loot!
F: And finally. You have a degree in politics and government... thoughts on becoming Prime Minister?
MP: Gee those views from Kirribilli are lovely aren’t they!!!
Voila, we’re done!
CEO F will be taking a much-deserved break from company duties this Christmas. For any urgent enquires (money based, stock tips, declarations of love), please email froomesworld@gmail.com, otherwise, eat my merry ass!
Have a wonderful season no matter where you are, I love you.
F x