Although Matt Preston has a long and successful career in the food industry, he is probably best known as one of the presenters, judges, and mentors on MasterChef Australia. If you have watched this series, you may have wondered about his career history and his personal life. Therefore, we have compiled a list of Matt Preston facts that we thought you might find interesting.
The following article contains Matt Preston facts about his personal life, his career as a food writer and critic, his television career, Matt Preston’s net worth, and more interesting facts about Matt Preston.
Matt Preston Facts About His Early Life
- He Was Born in London
Matt Preston was born in London on 21 July 1961, as the eldest of four children. He is from a Roman Catholic family, and he attended a Benedictine boarding school from the age of 11.
2. His Father Was Antony Preston
Matt Preston’s father was Anthony Preston, a famous historian, author, and journalist. He was born in Salford, Lancashire, in 1938, and he died in 2004. Antony Preston’s specialist subject was 19th and 20th-century naval history and warship design. He was a prolific author of both articles and books. Antony Preston was married to Jennifer, and they had four children together, with Matt Preston being the eldest.
3. He Was a Punk Musician
Although it is hard to imagine now when looking at Matt Preston, he was passionate about music in his teens. He was both a DJ and a punk musician during the late 1970s. It is one of the Matt Preston facts that most people do not know.
4. Preston Has a Degree in Politics and Government
Matt Preston clearly did not intend to pursue a career in either the food or the publishing industry when he left school, as these were not subjects that featured in his chosen degree. Instead, he opted to study for a BA (Hons) in politics and government at the University of Kent.
Matt Preston Facts: His Personal and Family Life
5. When Did Matt Preston Move to Australia?
Matt Preston did not move to Australia until he was in his 30s, as he had lived in London prior to the move. He decided to move Down Under in October 1993. He moved to Australia with his ex-partner.
6. Who Is Matt Preston’s Wife?
Matt Preston’s wife is Emma Preston. MasterChef fans will not see or hear much about Emma, as she prefers to keep herself out of the public eye and let her husband take the limelight. According to The Daily Mail, the couple met back in 1993, when Preston first moved to Australia, and while he was still with his ex-partner.
7. His Wife Thought He Was Gay
When Matt Preston’s wife first met him, she thought he was gay. She once explained that this was due to his flamboyant nature and dress sense. As she thought he was gay, they were just friends, and Emma would pour her heart out to Matt, telling him her woes as a single woman. When Emma met Matt’s other friends, she realized he was straight; they were all as flamboyant and pedantic as him.
8. Does Matt Preston Have Children?
Matt and Emma Preston have three children; two sons and a daughter. Their sons are Jonathan and William, and their daughter is Sadie.
His Career as a Food Writer and Critic
9. Preston Was a TV Writer Before a Food Writer
Before becoming a food writer, Matt Preston was a television writer. While living in the UK, he worked for City Limits and IPC Magazines, the parent companies of TV Times and What’s On TV. After moving to Australia in 1993, Preston continued writing for IPC Magazines as their Australian television correspondent.
10. He First Wrote Restaurant Reviews for Inside Melbourne
In 1996, Matt Preston landed a job as a food critic and restaurant reviewer for Inside Melbourne. He wrote for this publication until 2000, when he began writing reviews for The Age.
11. He Writes Food Articles for Various Publications
Matt Preston has written for multiple publications at various points in his food critic career. These include MasterChef Magazine, the Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph (Australia), The Guardian newspaper (UK), and Time Out as a regular food correspondent. Between 2000 and 2009, he was a weekly contributor to Epicure. Furthermore, Preston is a weekly contributor to The Age’s A2 and a drink reviewer for Australian Good Taste.
13. His Food Column Has 2.9 Million Weekly Australian Readers
Preston writes a weekly food column for NewsCorps metro newspapers. His column appears every Sunday in The Adelaide Advertiser and in Stellar Magazine. His column has 2.9 million Australian readers weekly.
14. Preston is a Senior Editor
In addition to writing, Matt Preston is a senior editor for several publications, including Delicious, Taste, and Vogue Entertaining & Travel.
15. He Has Written Six Cookbooks
Although he is known for writing restaurant reviews and food columns, Preston has also published six cookbooks. His first was the 2009 cookbook ‘Cravat-a-Licious’. Preston’s most recent work was the 2017 ‘Matt Preston’s Yummy Easy Quick’ cookbook.
Matt Preston’s Television Career
16. He Has Presented 11 Series of MasterChef Australia
Matt Preston is probably best known as one of the three main presenters of MasterChef Australia. He presents, judges, and mentors the prestigious cooking competition alongside Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris. The show started in 2009, and Preston was a presenter until the end of the 11th season in 2019. All three main judges were replaced when the series resumed in 2020. Replacements included Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, and Jock Zonfrillo. Leong left the show in 2023 following the death of Zonfrillo, and the new judges joining Allen are Jean-Christophe Novelli and Sofia Levin.
17. He Has Made Guest Appearances on Multiple TV Series
As a prominent figure in both the food industry and the publishing world, Matt Preston has made many guest appearances on television. Some of the series in which he has appeared include ‘Chris & Julia’s Saturday Night Takeaway’, ‘All-Star Family Feud’, ‘Studio 10’, ‘The Circle’, and ‘The Project’.
18. Preston Is Also an Actor
One of the Matt Preston facts that most people do not know is that he has also had an acting career. He has played small roles in series including ‘Neighbours’, ‘Lonely Planet Six Degrees’, ‘Lowdown’, and ‘Offspring’.
19. He Presented a Series Called Plate of Origin
After dropping him from MasterChef Australia, Preston joined forces with fellow MasterChef judge Gary Mehigan to present a new series called ‘Plate of Origin’ in 2020. Joining them was Manu Feildel, a chef, restaurateur, and television presenter. Preston then began presenting My Kitchen Rules with Fieldel and Nigella Lawson after Pete Evans left the series.
Other Matt Preston Facts
20. He Is Known For His Fashion Sense
Besides working in the food and publishing industries, Matt Preston is known for his unique fashion sense. He often appears on television wearing colourful suits and patterned shirts. However, it is his cravats for which he is most famous.
21. What Is Matt Preston’s Net Worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Matt Preston’s net worth is $5 million, approximately £3.25 million. He has become rich by working as a food critic, writer, and television presenter. However, he does not make it onto our list of the 20 richest celebrity chefs, which includes personalities such as Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Vikram Vij, Rick Bayless, Jose Andres, and Thomas Keller.
22. He Is a Football Fan
Something Matt Preston enjoys in his free time is football. Not only is he a fan of both Chelsea FC and Melbourne Victory, but he also supports Collingwood Football Club, which is in the AFL.
23. He Has Some Personal Cooking Triumphs
Although Preston’s experience in the food industry is predominantly from writing, he says that he has also had some personal cooking triumphs. He won an award for cooking a barbecue for more than a thousand people at the Noosa Food and Wine Festival. At the same event, he won an award for his jam recipes.
24. He Has Won Multiple Awards
Throughout his career, Matt Preston has won multiple awards and accolades. He has won several Food Media Club of Australia awards for his writing, the Food Journalist of the Year Award at Le Cordon Blue World Media Awards in 2008, and The Graham Kennedy Award for the Most Outstanding New Talent (Male) in 2010. His most unusual award was possibly the Awesome Oldie Award at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards in 2011.
25. What Are Matt Preston’s Favourite Foods?
According to Delicious, one of Matt Preston’s favourite foods is fermented and pickled ingredients. He loves the sourness and texture of these foods. He also loves prawns, broccoli, and celery juice. Furthermore, he promotes using ingredients that live or grow in Australia.
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Article updated on 29/12/2023