While MasterChef Australia judge and food writer Matt is a man passionate about food, music is actually his first love.

 

Growingup in London, Matt's first musical influences included Deep Purple, TheStones, Caravan, The Clash, The Ramones and The Stranglers.

 

“Inthe 60s I lived in the same Chelsea street where The Rolling Stoneslivedand - ten years later - where punk was born, so music has alwaysbeen part ofmy life," says Matt. "While a teenager I DJd at the localclub and my first real job was working for an entertainment magazine.

 

"Therea large part of my time was spent organizing and promoting concerts andclubs with artists as diverse as Nirvana, The Shaman, Nina Simone, BabaMaal and Sleepy Le Beef.  Music is as much a passion as food.”

 

OnNovember 20, 2009, Matt realises a long-standing dream to combine hisloves of food and music with Sony Music releasing a 2CD compilation ofhis favourite tunes to cook and entertain to.

 

Awelcome addition to any dinner party, and a perfect backing track toany post-party clean up, the album features and eclectic collection oftracks from artists including Eva Cassidy, The Lemonheads, Pink, ThePsychedelic Furs, Metro Station and Augie March.

 

“Toprogram two CDs of some of my favourite music - the music I like toplay when I'm in the kitchen or at the table  - has been so much fun,"says Matt. It's an eclectic bag that ranges from songs I grew up withto the sound track of the last 12 months which has been the mostunusual ride of my long, frightfully illustrious career,” he says.

 

Called ToughCD1 is music to cook to and music to clean up to.  It's the stuff tolisten to when you need to shake your butt or tap your feet as you arepreparing a meal.. or cleaning up after it. Washing up has never beenso much fun!

 

CD2 is called Tender andfeatures tunes with a bit of depth and a little less bass, providing abacking track of melody and rhythm to which you can create the perfectmood whether you are dining with friends or enjoying a special nightwith the one you love.

 

As a food lover, MattPreston understands just how important music can be in the preparationand enjoyment of a meal, hence his desire to put together acompilationalbum. “This is my ultimate mix tape of tunes that get you pumpingalong in the kitchen and dining in harmony," he says. "And hey, if youwant to dance or just energise the tedium of washing up, you can alwayspop that first CD in again at the end of the night!

 

"Theaim of the album is to reflect some of my top tunes ranging from earlyStax to new Australian classics. There is some familiar stuff, there isthe stuff you've forgotten you love and there are some tunes that maybe unfamiliar but which I suspect will become much-loved favouritesincluding Rod Stewart's ReasonTo Believe, Otis Redding Mr Pitiful and Faithless Don' Leave.”

 

Music from another platter is in stores from November 20, 2009. 

Australiaknows him as the soulful, cravat-wearing judge on thiswinter'ssmash-hit MasterChef Australia, but it's Matt Preston'swriting that hashad culinary circles talking for the last 10 years.

Cravat-a-liciousbringstogether Matt's best stories and columns in an irreverent,intelligent,and amusing anthology of his adventures in food. 



 

Thebookwill take you from the best restaurants in the world togrungyholes-in-the-wall on the wrong side of town; from the ritual ofatraditional pig annual kill to lunch at a Sikh temple in thesuburbs.Basically wherever the world's best food can be found.

 

Cravat-a-liciousfeaturesinsightful interviews with some of the world's mostinfluential foodpersonalities, romps across continents in search ofthe world's finestsalt and sugars, and some sneak peeks - from thecompelling to thecompletely bizarre - behind the scenes of Australia'sbiggest TV show,MasterChef.



You'll also find simplesolutions for creatingeverything from jam to the perfect risotto, toan authentic Seventies'soiree, all told in Matt's unique style.