Chelsea Winter’s New Chapter of Nourishment and Joy

Chelsea Winter has always been one of those rare Kiwis who feels like both a friend and a force of nature. We’ve seen her as the bright-eyed MasterChef winner, the bestselling author behind kitchen classics, and the warm face of family food. But behind the public life, she’s also just a mum in Ōakura trying to get two boys out the door, fold laundry, and still find time to look after herself.

These days, Chelsea seems to be living life with more balance than ever. With her sons Sky and Sage growing up fast, her sister and close friends nearby, and her mum Annemieke about to move down from the Waikato, there’s a sense of grounded joy in her voice. “It’s a dream come true,” she says. Every Sunday will soon be family dinner day – a return to the kind of easy, intergenerational connection that shaped her own childhood.

It’s that family focus that flows through her new cookbook, Nourish. It’s her eighth, but it feels deeply personal – a collection of recipes designed to make everyday food comforting, healthy, and achievable. After two plant-based books, she’s returned to a mix of meat, eggs, dairy and sweet treats, all made with care and a conscience. “It’s taken all the best things from my other books – the deliciousness, the nostalgia, the flavour – and wrapped it up in a nourishing package,” she says.

Nourish is also her first true collaboration, co-created with her friend Heliena, who she calls her “soul sister.” The partnership came at just the right time. After years of pushing through the juggle of motherhood and work, Chelsea says this project finally felt light, joyful and shared. Together, they developed recipes for families just like theirs – full of busy parents trying to feed picky kids something both healthy and yum.

The book may be front and centre right now, but it’s not Chelsea’s only new creation. She’s hosting a women’s retreat next winter at Flockhill Lodge in Canterbury, focused on nourishment of a different kind – healing, breath work, good food, and time to rest. “It came from my own healing journey,” she says. “I’ve never been so excited about anything.” A food line, a body butter, and another foodie tour to Sri Lanka are also on the way, each one part of this new phase of flow and creativity.

After years of juggling two lives, Chelsea’s found her rhythm. “I’m living in a place of flow and clarity now,” she says. “It’s not perfect and I’m not perfect – far from it – but every day gets a little easier.” These days, her joy doesn’t come from chasing more, but from slowing down enough to notice what’s already there.