In conversation with… Matt Wilkinson
Eat Well|Issue #36
For a man who hails from South Yorkshire, England, chef Matt Wilkinson has an unparalleled love for Australia. Then again, you could drop this green-thumbed chef into any corner of the world and he would, no doubt, create dishes that sing of their surrounding land.
In conversation with… Matt Wilkinson

The Pope Joan founder and creative director of Four Pillars Gin now boasts another role, that of the self-titled Culinary Captain at the Mornington Peninsula’s Montalto. Working amid the estate’s lush three-acre kitchen garden, Wilkinson may well have found his home away from home. Here, EatWell talks to the chef about his accidental journey into the food world, the power of growing and the joy in sharing a meal with loved ones.

Matt, tell us about your journey into the food world. Where did it begin and how?

It’s a funny story really as I hated cooking to begin with. My parents split when I was little and my father moved above a pub where I started working from a young age. When I left school, I wanted to run a pub but at the age of 16 I couldn’t drink, let alone manage a pub, so I did a hospitality management course. Part of the course was spending one day in the kitchen, which I hated, but my tutor John Stevenson (a former chef) saw something in me and arranged for me to go to work at a boutique hotel on the outskirts of London where his son was the sous chef. It was a two-week placement during which I was supposed to do one week front of house and one week in the kitchen. The crafty old bugger organised two weeks in the kitchen, and after day one I was hooked. The next morning after my first night’s service, I got called into the office with the head chef and general manager of the hotel. Now no good had ever come of me being called into an office before, so it was to my great surprise that they sat me down and offered me a job. I started one month later and have never looked back.

Denne historien er fra Issue #36-utgaven av Eat Well.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Issue #36-utgaven av Eat Well.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA EAT WELLSe alt
ARE YOU TO FU enough?
Eat Well

ARE YOU TO FU enough?

Love it or hate it, everyone has an opinion about tofu. Tofu is a very popular plant-based protein for vegans and vegetarians, but now this humble bean curd is starting to shine for meat lovers too as an alternative source of protein.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue #47
Sweet TRAYBAKES
Eat Well

Sweet TRAYBAKES

Whether you want to feed a group of people or make a batch of treats for the week, traybaking is a no-fuss way to cook up something sweet and easy that will please everyone. Your family and friends will love you when you offer them some of our: cinnamon scrolls; fruity chocolate; espresso brownies; lemon & coconut slice; or ginger cake with brown butter frosting.

time-read
10 mins  |
Issue #47
ROLL UP
Eat Well

ROLL UP

When you roll food, whether in Lebanese bread, a thin pancake or whatever you choose, you can create a parcel of nutrition that is perfectly suited to your own tastes and needs. Here are some roll-up recipes that will suit every occasion including: mango, snow pea, & sprout rice paper rolls; oat crepes with coconut yoghurt & mixed berries; or beef meatball & tzatziki flatbreads.

time-read
7 mins  |
Issue #47
RICE BOWL Lunches
Eat Well

RICE BOWL Lunches

If you are working from home, or even enjoying your weekend, and lunchtime rolls around but you have no plans for lunch, then a rice bowl is an ideal saviour.

time-read
10 mins  |
Issue #47
PLANT-BASED PIES
Eat Well

PLANT-BASED PIES

Pies are a piece of gastronomic brilliance: a filling with a case and lid you can eat is food genius. The first pies date back to Egyptian times and there is a recipe for chicken pie that was carved into stone more than 4000 years ago. For millennia, however, the pie casing was mostly used to cook the filling, but for around 500 years or more we have been eating the pie crust too.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue #47
20 FOOD CRAVING HACKS
Eat Well

20 FOOD CRAVING HACKS

Decipher the deeper causes of your cravings and discover tricks to curtail them.

time-read
5 mins  |
Issue #47
Eggplant (Solanum melongena L)
Eat Well

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L)

Eggplant is a wonderful option for vegans and vegetarians, extremely nutritious and highly versatile in the kitchen.

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue #47
5 PANTRY SAVIOURS
Eat Well

5 PANTRY SAVIOURS

Whether you're cooking a simple breakfast or something more exotic, here are five pantry food staples you should have on hand to cook plenty of delicious meals in the comfort of your own home.

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue #46
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
Eat Well

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)

Cucumbers are delicious fresh but they also offer plenty more options in the kitchen.

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue #46
Our Chefs
Eat Well

Our Chefs

Meet the chefs who bring this issue's recipes to you: Lisa Guy, Georgia Harding, Lee Holmes, Sammy Jones, Raquel Neofit, Naomi Sherman and Ames Starr.

time-read
6 mins  |
Issue #46