Take Five: Matt Wilkinson
- Words by Peppermint
Ever wonder what a chef feeds his family on his night off? In the run-up to his appearance at the Noosa Food and Wine Festival, we caught up with cookbook author and owner of Melbourne’s Pope Joan, Matt Wilkinson, to find out his food philosophy, his go-to weeknight dinners and his average day on a plate.
You’re a former ambassador for the Victorian Farmers’ Markets Association – why is it so important to you to know where your food comes from?
I think the bible says “know thy neighbour”, and in today’s times I reckon it should be “know thy farmer” – or at least a few. They’re bloody legends! My general rule is if it’s fresh produce and it’s had to come a long way, it’s not going to be as good as it is when it comes from closer and in season to the area we live… and it’s even better if you know the farmer.
Your books tend to focus on fresh, nutritious and seasonal foods – what’s your overall food philosophy?
Seasonal is where it’s at. When it comes to fresh food I take the region I’m in as ‘my country’. I eat the foods that grow there, whilst they are growing in that season, and then I don’t eat them when they don’t grow.
At the Noosa Food & Wine Festival, you’re creating a four-course meal using only ingredients sourced within a 100km radius. What do you most love about using local produce?
Taste, taste, taste – to me, local is tasty. I don’t have to do much to the produce. If I marry the flavours and textures well on the plate and respect how to cook it, it’ll surely taste good. Also, I’m proud to live in Australia and call it home, I have an Australian wife and kids, and by buying local I’m supporting the region and Australia in a small way – even if I was born a Pom.
You’re a father to two young boys. What are your stand-by family dinners that you can fall back on in a rush?
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with breakfast for dinner if you’re in a rush – we call it cowboy dinner. I use free-range animals so that’s important. My other go-to’s would have to be a simple pasta or free-range chicken thighs, quickly marinated in yoghurt with spices, then grilled with some veggies. Or a jacket potato is a good option too. I microwave the spud for 10 minutes first, then put it in a hot oven on a tray for 8 minutes and it’ll be cooked, fluffy and ready, and you can use up any leftovers from the fridge as toppings… it’s a great way to clear the fridge.
Finally, what does breakfast, lunch and dinner look like for you on an average day?
Breakfast looks like two fried, boiled or scrambled eggs on toast with kimchi. Lunch could be anything – a quick salad or a pie from the pie shop (my business next door to Pope Joan) or one of Pope Joan’s bloody tasty sandwiches. For dinner my wife Sharlee cooks mostly, and I love her rice with fried pork & eggplant dish – I add chilli. The recipe’s in our new book, Mr & Mrs Wilkinson’s How it is at Home, and I love having it every week.
I think the bible says “know thy neighbour”, and in today’s times I reckon it should be “know thy farmer” – or at least a few. They’re bloody legends!
PHOTO: LIZZIE HALLORAN
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
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The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
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It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
