Matt Preston's ideal Australia Day

THE pinnacle of the barbecue season is Australia Day - and this year we have three days to celebrate it.

sausages australia day

THE pinnacle of the barbecue season is Australia Day - and this year we have three days to celebrate it.

Summer is in full swing and even with the slip, slop, slapping your guests have all finally shed the pale tones of winter and look like happy brown bunnies. The perfect backdrop for your barbecue.

What makes an Australia Day barbecue the quintessential Australian experience isn't just the thrill of the grill and the great Aussie produce you can put on it but everything that goes around it - your friends, the tunes and the simple tips that can make even the biggest barbecue a laid-back experience.

MY PREP TIPS

PREPARATION is essential if you're to enjoy the Oz Day festivities. For example, cut and make your elements for your salads in the morning but don't assemble and dress them until your guests arrive.

Actually, the real No.1 rule is to check that you have enough gas in the cylinder and, if not, buy more. More barbecues have been ruined by the gas running out halfway through cooking than by burnt snags.

The other No.1 rule is to make sure that the barbecue is clean - and remember, it is easier to clean a warm barbecue than a cold one - after you've scraped off any old congealed fat.

Make an effort to clean the barbecue as soon as it has cooled down enough after cooking your meal.

WHAT'S ON THEME

I LOVE a menu that can come off the barbecue in waves. I start with sausages and chops. Perfect for the kids who are likely to be less patient and ideal because both can be eaten with your fingers - albeit with the snags in cheap white bread with a smear of red sauce. No need to be fancy here.

For the adults too, that might be enough - I don't go for anything too fancy even if it's Australia Day.

If I want to step up my meal, I might try slow-cooking a boned leg of lamb on your grill, perhaps rubbed with a mix of North African flavouring made from combining 2 tablespoons of roughly ground coriander seeds with 1 tablespoon of cumin, olive oil and salt.

This can be cooked just before your guests arrive and then rested in a warm place; there's nothing wrong with serving lamb this way, warm rather than sizzling hot.

Partner it with garlic-spiked Greek yoghurt and a mound of onions or cucumber pickled lightly in a mix of vinegar and sugar. Don't forget to season any meat from the barbecue with a good pinch of flake salt.

I love prawns cooked on the flat plate of the barbecue - especially with loads of finely chopped garlic thrown on just as the prawns start to curl (to avoid burning the garlic and bitterness from overcooking). Serve them with loads of freshly chopped parsley or coriander. Use wedges of lemon for the former and lime for the latter.

I tend not to cook whole fish, but if I do I have found that using the flat plate and laying down silicon paper first will help stop the skin and flesh sticking to the grill.

SWEET SENSATIONS

THIS year I'll be colliding the British influences of my past and my present by making an Eton mess with diced kiwi and mango. I'll also freeze passionfruit juice, after straining out the seeds, and then sprinkle smashed passionfruit ice over the mess.

An even easier approach is to ask each family that is coming to bring a pavlova and then have a "pavlova-off".

"When in doubt, delegate" is a good rule for entertaining.

RAISE YOUR GLASS

THE first rule with drinks is always to buy twice as much ice as you need. Then fill the ice bucket with a mix of full-strength and light beers of your choosing along with fresh fruit juices and mineral water.

It is important to keep your guests properly hydrated and the designated drivers happy. For wines, I'd normally ask my mate Tony Love to suggest a well-priced rose - you can find his tips in taste every week.

TURN UP THE MUSIC

THE playlist for your perfect Aussie Day barbecue is almost as important as the guest list and so you'll need to get downloading - and the playlist has be chockers with good Aussie music new and old.

On the newer side, 2012 was Gotye's year around the world, so you'll definitely need to include some of Wally de Backer's music alongside tunes from the next wave of Aussie talent like rapper 360 and Perth's rather wonderful dreamy Tame Impala.

Feel free to mix this up with some old favourites like The Avalanches and Temper Trap. Naturally as things start to pick up and the conversational level lifts, it's time to slip on a little of the Hilltop Hoods, Kasey Chambers and The Cat Empire as each will give your backyard some bounce. Needless to say, classics from The Church, Go-Betweens and Triffids will be woven into my playlist before you release the big gun of any great Australia Day barbecue - Paul Kelly. Bradman is the perfect soundtrack for striding out to face the first over of the backyard cricket.

As dusk fades into night, feel free to crank up the music with some You Am I, AC/DC and, of course, Barnesy. Not one wrong note among them.

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MY PERFECT AUSTRALIA DAY GUEST LIST

> CURTIS STONE: It's good to have an Aussie legend who has returned from overseas flushed with success, and women tell me they are more likely to come to my barbecue if he's twirling the tongs.

> PAT CASH: Every barbecue should also have someone banging on about their sporting glory days way back when - and at least Pat was actually great once, unlike the mate who always wants to remind you of the day he took "five-fer" in the under-11s.

> KYLE SANDILANDS: You don't get a pearl of a party without a little bit of grit in the shell. He'd also bring gossip, which is a cornerstone of any great barbecue. And if he didn't we could start it.

> DAVE HUGHES: Every good barbecue needs a comedian and you always need someone to argue about football with.

> Offspring's ASHER KEDDIE, comedian PETER HELLIAR and actor STEVEN CASTLE: They are all guaranteed to take my side in any argument about football with Hughesy - and Asher gives us the element of surprise as he won't expect her to be as passionate and knowledgeable as she is.

> ANGUS and JULIA STONE: They could play an impromptu set and their music is perfect for a balmy barbecue evening as the summer shadows are starting to lengthen.

> MISSY HIGGINS would be just as ace but I'd be worried about my back as I get my old honky-tonk piano out on to the veranda for her.

> GEORGE & GARY (and their families): Because I miss them! And they can argue with Curtis about who should have the tongs next!

> DAVID BLACKMORE and my couple of farmer mates: It's helpful if someone can bring the meat - especially if it's wagyu as good as David's. (And I don't have to pay for it.)

> THE MELBOURNE VIXENS NETBALL TEAM: They are good fun, would be competitive in backyard cricket and my theory is that you get into more trouble when you're out with your team so that could be fun. Oh, and Kyle would love them.

>: PAUL REIFFEL: We'll need an umpire as I'm not telling Aussie Diamonds netball team defender Bianca Chatfield that she's "out" for hitting it into Mum's good flowerbed.

> RICHIE BENAUD and the ghost of the wonderful JOHN ARLOTT to commentate.

Oh, and you, of course.

> I don't think TONI COLLETTE and HUGH JACKMAN would come, which is a pity as they'd both be good on the karaoke at the end of the night.