Chelsea Winter on solo parenting, turning 40 and new cookbook Tasty

“The beach is two minutes away and I try to walk on it every single day for an hour and a half,” she says. “That’s my sanity — it’s how I keep it all together. And I’ve got a little piece of land with a couple of cows and a few sheep. My sister and one of my closest friends are here too.

“There’s a mountain behind us and it’s such a peaceful place. Contrary to what people might think, I’m a bit of a hermit and sometimes all I’ll do is drop the kids off, then go to the Four Square — that’s me and I’m happy with that.”

Those early days of being a mum to two sons weren’t always easy for Chelsea. She had been longing for children and admits having a lot of preconceived ideas about raising a family.

“All of that went straight out the window,” she says. “It was such a humbling experience and there were many times when I thought I wasn’t cut out for this. The early years were especially challenging — I didn’t really sleep much for the first year.

“I was in my late 30s and used to life being a certain way, then it got turned upside down. Really, it’s just in the last year that I feel like I’ve emerged from the depths of whatever it was and got a bit of balance back in my life.”

The food that others cooked for her was a huge comfort during that period when Chelsea’s mind and body were trying to catch up with what had happened.

A particularly fond memory is the potato dish her mother, Annemieke, made when her second son was born and she has recreated the recipe, calling it Love-You Potatoes (see page 76), in Tasty.

“It’s a very special recipe,” says Chelsea. “That first home-cooked food you get after you have a baby is just so good. Mum made it from spuds she’d grown in her garden and I still remember the feeling of overwhelming gratitude.”

Motherhood meant Chelsea had to put aside work on the book for a while. She briefly considered trying to do everything at once, but then came to terms with it not being the best idea.

“I was testing recipes and had the shoot all planned when I got pregnant,” she explains. “I realised that this might be the last baby I have and that I shouldn’t try to cram a new cookbook photoshoot into the newborn stage. A book takes so much creative energy and you need to be in the zone.”

While working on Tasty, Chelsea’s also had to navigate a split from her children’s father. “We’ve parted and now we’re co-parenting, putting the best interests of our kids first — when you do that, it becomes easier,” she says.

Solo parenthood means a household that often feels chaotic, with kids scootering from room to room and endless meals required to cater for young appetites.

“Life is frigging busy,” says Chelsea with a laugh. “There are days when I’m just like, ‘Holy s***’! But I feel very grounded, like I’m in the right place, doing the right thing.”

Alongside the mouth-watering food photos in Tasty, there are beautiful portraits of Chelsea with her family.

“They’re who I’m cooking for a lot of the time, so it made sense to have them there,” she smiles. “My books have always been an honest representation of where I am in that stage of my life and this is who I am now — a mum. It isn’t always pretty, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

There was a shift in Chelsea’s culinary style when she first became a mum and started exploring a fully plant-based lifestyle. The result was her 2020 book Supergood.

While she no longer follows that 100% plant-based diet, the focus of Tasty is still plant-based eating for all the family, although the recipes are designed to be flexible, so people can serve up meat alongside the recipes, or use dairy or eggs.

“When it comes to food, balance is important,” says Chelsea. “I encourage people to make the recipes their own.”

Tasty also includes a lot of classic Kiwi baking and desserts made without refined sugar. Chelsea explains, “This is a huge shift for me — my previous books contained a lot of it! This came from my having kids and trying to avoid processed sugar most of the time, which is something people are going to be very excited about.”

Although not everyone was as thrilled when Chelsea changed her cooking style.

She recalls, “People were like, ‘You’re nuts! You’re the best-selling cookbook author in New Zealand and you’re bringing out a plant-based book. What are your fans going to do’? But it just felt right and Supergood turned out to be the best-selling book overall the year it was published. It’s clear that inspiration for really good, delicious and family-friendly plant-based recipes is needed.”

At the moment, Chelsea’s food journey is taking her out into the garden, where she has torn up part of the lawn and paddocks to start growing vegetables and flowers.

“I have no real idea what I’m doing, but I’m learning,” she said, laughing. “When I dug out my own potatoes last year, I was so proud! I’m never going to be someone who lives fully off the land, but all my herbs are there, and I grow pumpkins, kale, strawberries and tomatoes. I love being out there, being surrounded by nature, getting muddy and getting on my ride-on mower, which is one of my greatest joys.”

Continuing to find a good balance in life is what she strives for right now.

“I wear a lot of different hats,” she points out. “There’s being a mum, there’s being Chelsea Winter, there’s finding space for myself and my own personal growth, and then there’s me with friends and family. Balance is being able to enjoy wearing all those different hats at different times rather than being dominated by one.”

The immediate future includes a New Zealand tour to launch Tasty, and Chelsea can’t wait to get out there and meet readers. She’s already started work on another cookbook and hopes to host another European tour. This year, she partnered with travel company Trafalgar to take people to Italy and Croatia.

She’s planning lots more walks on the beach, time in the garden and family adventures. Beyond that, not even Chelsea’s certain where she’s heading next.

“The way life unfolds, I’ve come to realise that you can’t ever understand what’s going to happen,” she says. “But honestly, I don’t think I could’ve dreamed up a cooler life for myself. I’m just so grateful for every part of it.”

Tasty by Chelsea Winter ($55, Allen & Unwin) is on shelves on Tuesday. Chelsea will be doing major events in Christchurch, Ōamaru, New Plymouth and Palmerston North in October. For details, go to chelseawinter.co.nz