The hunt is on for the best club meal

Matt is touring NSW for the annual Your Local Club Perfect Plate Awards, which aim to showcase the quality and diversity of food on offer in clubs.

A total of 148 clubs are participating, with patrons able to visit their local participating club, sample their 'Perfect Plate' dish and then give it a score out of five

Matt was at Bundeena Community & Services Club, Miranda RSL Club, St George Sailing Club and St George Leagues Club on May 14, and also Kingsgrove RSL, to meet with club chefs and taste test their Perfect Plate dishes.

Fellow celebrity chef Courtney Roulston is also part of the road trip, searching for the best club meal. The 2024 ambassadors of Your Local Club Perfect Plate Awards, Matt and Courtney will sample as many dishes as possible.

"I want to see clubs utilise as much fresh, local produce as possible and plate up dishes that take them out of their comfort zone a little bit," Matt said. "An award-winning dish to me is great produce that's perfectly balanced."

"I think chefs always cook better if they're cooking something they're familiar with, something from their heritage, or something that they have a passion for," Courtney said. "That's when they do their best cooking and that's what I'm looking forward to seeing this year."

Until June 16, people are encouraged to visit participating NSW clubs to taste and score the dishes by scanning each eatery's unique QR code or filling out a paper form.

Clubs NSW Chief Executive Rebecca Riant said the awards were designed to showcase the quality and diversity of food on offer in NSW clubs.

"We are thrilled to have Matt Moran and Courtney Roulston back as ambassadors for the competition again this year - their names are synonymous with culinary excellence in Australia and they both started their careers in clubs, which is very fitting," she said.

A new category has been introduced this year - best dessert. While diners can only vote for each Perfect Plate dish once, they are encouraged to taste as many competition dishes at as many NSW clubs as possible to boost their chances of winning a prize. A $100 gift card will be given away every day of the competition and the two diners who vote for the most Perfect Plate dishes will win a 'foodie getaway' for two valued at more than $3000 each.

The 13 clubs that receive the highest average score for their dishes based on patron ratings will be crowned the winner of their respective region. There will also be three state-wide winners announced in the small, medium and large club categories, and one state-wide winner in the new category.

This is the fourth year of the awards, with a lobster dish taking out the top spot in 2023.