Everything you need to know about 'Matt Preston's Plating Locally'

Great food-travel shows hero more than just a popular, insta-worthy meal. They introduce viewers to the people behind produce, histories that have shaped a dish and places that give local ingredients a distinctive character.

In the new SBS Food series Matt Preston's Plating Locally, the famous food broadcaster travels across Australia and New Zealand to meet the farmers, fishers, foragers, winemakers and artisans whose passion and craftsmanship provide each region with its own distinctive flavour.

"For me, the best food stories don't begin in a restaurant,” says Preston, award-winning food writer, cookbook author and former MasterChef Australia judge. “They begin in a paddock, on a fishing boat, in a vineyard or with someone who's spent a lifetime perfecting their craft.”

During the series, Preston spends time with the people who know these ingredients best, learning what makes them unique to each region. He then heads to the kitchen to cook dishes inspired by the places he's visited, giving viewers the chance to recreate some of his favourite recipes at home.

Part travel series, part celebration of local produce and part cooking show, Matt Preston's Plating Locally reveals the stories, people and places behind local plates.

Here's everything you need to know about the show, including where to watch, what recipes Preston shares and more.

What happens in Matt Preston's Plating Locally?

Across eight episodes, Preston travels through some of Australia and New Zealand's best-known food regions, meeting the producers whose knowledge, skills and dedication shapes the food we eat.

Preston's journey begins on Western Australia's wild southwest coast before winding through South Australia's celebrated wine regions, Victoria's Yarra Valley, Tasmania's Tamar Valley and across the Tasman to New Zealand's Marlborough region. Along the way, Preston visits living abalone reefs, vineyards, orchards, fishing communities and working farms, learning how each landscape influences the food it produces before creating dishes inspired by every destination.

"Matt Preston's Plating Locally gave me the chance to travel to some of the most spectacular parts of Australia and New Zealand meeting remarkable producers whose passion starts long before any ingredient reaches our plates," Preston tells SBS.

Where can I watch Matt Preston's Plating Locally?

Matt Preston's Plating Locally premieres on SBS Food and SBS On Demand on Wednesday 12 August at 8.30pm.

The eight-part series airs weekly on SBS Food, with new episodes available to stream on SBS On Demand. It will also be available with subtitles in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean, as well as audio description.

Who is Matt Preston?

Matt Preston is an award-winning food writer, broadcaster, bestselling cookbook author and television personality who became a household name during his 11 seasons as a judge on MasterChef Australia.

He’s also written eight bestselling cookbooks and built a long career across television, radio and publishing. Preston continues to champion Australian food through his writing and broadcasting, sharing the stories behind regional ingredients, passionate producers and the communities that influence Australia's food culture.

What recipes does Matt Preston share in Matt Preston's Plating Locally?

Preston’s journey inspires recipes that celebrate the produce, flavours and traditions of Australia's and New Zealand's most distinctive food regions. Cooking against a backdrop of vineyards, coastlines, rivers and working farms, he prepares dishes using ingredients sourced where they're grown, harvested or caught.

Featured recipes include marron with foraged coastal herbs in Margaret River, roast lamb on the Fleurieu Peninsula, Berkshire pork belly in Tasmania and king salmon in New Zealand's Marlborough region. During the series, viewers also get to feast their eyes on prized abalone, oysters, pipis, trout, hazelnuts, butter and wine.

What does Matt Preston discover in his new series?

Matt Preston's Plating Locally focuses on the people behind the ingredients we eat, whose work begins long before our meal reaches the kitchen: from farmers to fishers and foragers to winemakers. Their knowledge, techniques and connection to place helps to shape the ingredients that define each region and the meals they inspire.

The new series also celebrates the diversity of Australia's and New Zealand's food landscape, where coastlines, vineyards, rivers and farmland each produce ingredients with their own distinctive character.

"Every destination surprised me, every producer had a story worth telling and every meal became a celebration of the place it came from," Preston says.

Episode summary

Episode 1: Margaret River, Western Australia

Preston begins on Western Australia's wild southwest coast, where abalone is farmed on living ocean reefs and generations of winemakers have helped shape one of Australia's best-known food regions. He walks through heritage hand-pruned vineyards, meets the people behind the region's celebrated produce and cooks marron with foraged coastal herbs on a remote cape overlooking the ocean.

Episode 2: Barossa Valley, South Australia

In this episode, the food broadcaster spends time with the people continuing the Barossa's rich food and wine traditions. He visits Adelaide's Cheesefest, meets a world-class butter maker and explores the region's renowned vineyards before creating a dish inspired by the local produce.

Episode 3: Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia

Preston heads to the Fleurieu Peninsula for episode three, where McLaren Vale's vineyards meet the sea. Here, he gathers pipis from the shallows, visits a family-run garlic farm and cooks roast lamb beneath a stunning sunset. This episode reflects the close connection between the Fleurieu Peninsula's coastline, farmland and vineyards, and the ingredients they produce.

Episode 4: Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Fresh seafood takes centre stage on Kangaroo Island as Preston visits oyster growers in the cool Southern Ocean, before joining a Thursday night dinner at the island's only Thai restaurant, a much-loved local tradition. Together, the people, produce and community offer a unique glimpse into life on the island.

Episode 5: Limestone Coast, South Australia

Preston dives into a hidden farm sinkhole, walks Country with a Boandik Elder and cooks a Wagyu tomahawk among the vineyards of Coonawarra. Ancient landscapes, Indigenous knowledge and generations of farming come together to tell the story of one of South Australia's most distinctive food regions.

Episode 6: Yarra Valley, Victoria

Back in his home state, Preston floats above the Yarra Valley by hot air balloon before fly fishing for trout and meeting the winemakers behind one of Victoria's best-known food and wine regions. His catch inspires a meal celebrating the produce, people and traditions that define the valley.

Episode 7: Tamar Valley, Tasmania

Northern Tasmania's Tamar Valley is home to cool-climate wines, hazelnuts and exceptional local produce. Preston wanders through a hazelnut orchard, cooks Berkshire pork belly and spends time with the makers whose passion and craftsmanship continue to shape one of Australia's leading food and wine regions.

Episode 8: Marlborough, New Zealand

Preston’s journey concludes in New Zealand's Marlborough region, home to world-famous Sauvignon Blanc and outstanding seafood. Cooking king salmon in Picton Harbour, the food writer celebrates the producers, ingredients and landscapes that have shaped every stop along the way, bringing the series to a fitting close.