“Of course, one person will end up doing the lion’s share for sure, but ... I don’t know, like I’m kind of over the whole idea of Christmas has to be this stupid thing.”
Winter said that this time of year is already stressful enough, and people should keep things as simple as they can rather than trying to put on a big spectacle.
“Use recipes that you trust from books you trust, and stuff you’ve made before, so you’re not making it all like for the first time and blowing out and getting it wrong, and just don’t overcomplicate things.
“I think that’s the thing with the whole reality TV show culture is that everyone thinks everyone’s going to judge you and your food, and it’s this competition, but it really isn’t.”
Winter said that for her family Christmas last year, she stripped everything back and got everyone to bring a plate and shared the load around to make things simpler.
“We have this culture of trying to do everything ourselves and be perfect in every way, but I don’t really find that a very attractive way of, or a very helpful way of living, so yeah, just get everyone to pitch in.”
When it comes to people with different diets, Winter said it’s easy enough once to find recipes where you can sub in different ingredients, and having conversations ahead of time helps ease that burden.
Tasty follows Winter’s move towards plant-based, sugar-free recipes that she started with 2020’s Supergood.
While that book went on to be the best-selling cookbook of the year, Winter recalled the backlash she initially received for making the change.
“It was an interesting time for me because I was very used to being just universally beloved, because I really made an effort to create recipes that everyone would love, and I think that’s also just a sign of where I was at, you know, kind of like wanting to please everybody.”
She followed her own guidance and intuition around plant-based food, but the release of Supergood and the backlash that followed from some quarters took her off guard.
“It wasn’t easy, like I felt pretty shit because I wasn’t used to people being angry at me. And, it was something that I actually had to go through to be like, it’s actually okay, everything’s going to be okay, and I think the world isn’t going to come crumbling to an end because there are a few people that are really pissed and that might not cook your recipes anymore.”
“But those are the things that help us grow and evolve, and I am aware of that. So I just boxed on with what I was doing and Supergood ended up being the bestselling book of the year overall. So I was kind of glad that I followed my gut.”
Listen to the full episode for more from Chelsea on her Christmas and summer entertaining tips, and her hints towards what her next cookbook will be about.
Ask Me Anything is an NZ Herald podcast hosted by former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett. New episodes are available every Sunday.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
