Brilliant! I can identify with so much of what you've said here. Yes it was a shock for all of us when Chelsea turned vegan, I bought Supergood without realising but actually there are some great recipes in there which have become favourites in our household. Still love her old stuff though - her rich, creamy chicken pie is to die for! And like you I won't be trying the Not Dogs any time soon. Thanks for a very entertaining and funny piece of writing.
Interesting that Steve Braunias commented she seems always to be sad, or words to that effect. Her books sell like (ahem) hot cakes. I've never cooked her recipes. Crikey - coeliac - bummer. The upside, I suppose if there is an upside, is that at least these days bakers, restaurants, and chefs acknowledge it is real and cater for coeliacs. As ever, brilliant writing.
Oh my goodness. I read the comments before commenting myself and I think Steve Braunias is onto something. Leah, there's a poster in the Karori Mall advertising one of Chelsea's books. I always think she looks so sad. Dead eyes. Something 'not quite right'. I have never cooked anything of hers. But I'm told that her pavlova is equal to Nadia's. And I love a good pavlova.
The matter of Chelsea Winter's alleged sadness needs clarity. I wrote, in Newsroom, in December: "Allen & Unwin threw a Xmas party this week and I really hoped Chelsea Winter – their biggest-selling author, which is to say New Zealand’s biggest-selling author – would be there in all her divinity and blondeness. But she wasn’t. That was a shame. She comes across as very soulful in Tasty. 'Here I am,' she writes, 'beaming happily from the pages of my seventh cookbook.' No she isn’t. There is hurt and vulnerability and uncertainty in the pages. A cookbook operates as a diary, as a personal statement; inbetween the lines, inbetween the meals so to speak, Tasty reads like a portrait of the artist in transition, searching for peace, wanting comfort and reassurance. There are a lot of good meals to be had – her mission remains the same, to feed the nation without handing out meat or gluten or sugar – but I think a certain joy is lacking. The photography is through a glass, darkly; the recipes are cautious, lacking in abundance and wonder. She looks wise, centred, holding it together; the recipes, kind of likewise.
"The recipe for Bounty Slice is an example. There’s nothing new or incredible about it. Chocolate and coconut, 20 minutes prep, store in an airtight container. Mind you they look really good."
It speaks our loss of innocence since Chelsea started (2013 or so). We no longer take her at face value. How can anything so simple, so basic, so vanilla, be enough? It’s true of what we eat, as well.
Her latter two books are DEFINITELY melancholic. Have you heard Nigella’s backstory? God! Her mother served her the same congealed leftovers until she ate them. There is definitely a sadness about people who are compelled to feed others
That wasn’t unusual in those days. I loathed porridge but Mum made me sit there and eat it. I would still be sitting there at smoko time when Dad came in from the woolshed. Cold porridge. Then I started tipping it out the window, got caught, and thrashed. It wasn’t thought cruel, but a naughty ungrateful child wasting food.
Chelsea Winter is a new name to me, Leah, but the trajectory sounds quite familiar. I've had to adapt my approach to cooking and food as I've got older and health niggles kick in. And I'm remembering how fussy my children were about certain foods now I've got grandchildren!
I'm glad you wrote about your dad last week, it was such a touching tribute.
Yesterday was my mother-in-law's funeral, so that's a different grief to when my own parents died, but still profound, and of course, it affects the whole family. All four of her great-grandchildren were in the front row at the crematorium service. My three-year old grandson saw the slide show on the screen and said, "It's all about Supernana!" I don't know how much he has grasped, but I hope the funeral and wake have left positive memories.
My younger sister has been a fan for years, calls her Old Mate when posting pics of successful cooks. She also described her as the modern Alison Holst
Brilliant! I can identify with so much of what you've said here. Yes it was a shock for all of us when Chelsea turned vegan, I bought Supergood without realising but actually there are some great recipes in there which have become favourites in our household. Still love her old stuff though - her rich, creamy chicken pie is to die for! And like you I won't be trying the Not Dogs any time soon. Thanks for a very entertaining and funny piece of writing.
Oh SLURP. Creamy chicken pie sounds like HEAVEN x
Interesting that Steve Braunias commented she seems always to be sad, or words to that effect. Her books sell like (ahem) hot cakes. I've never cooked her recipes. Crikey - coeliac - bummer. The upside, I suppose if there is an upside, is that at least these days bakers, restaurants, and chefs acknowledge it is real and cater for coeliacs. As ever, brilliant writing.
Oh my goodness. I read the comments before commenting myself and I think Steve Braunias is onto something. Leah, there's a poster in the Karori Mall advertising one of Chelsea's books. I always think she looks so sad. Dead eyes. Something 'not quite right'. I have never cooked anything of hers. But I'm told that her pavlova is equal to Nadia's. And I love a good pavlova.
The matter of Chelsea Winter's alleged sadness needs clarity. I wrote, in Newsroom, in December: "Allen & Unwin threw a Xmas party this week and I really hoped Chelsea Winter – their biggest-selling author, which is to say New Zealand’s biggest-selling author – would be there in all her divinity and blondeness. But she wasn’t. That was a shame. She comes across as very soulful in Tasty. 'Here I am,' she writes, 'beaming happily from the pages of my seventh cookbook.' No she isn’t. There is hurt and vulnerability and uncertainty in the pages. A cookbook operates as a diary, as a personal statement; inbetween the lines, inbetween the meals so to speak, Tasty reads like a portrait of the artist in transition, searching for peace, wanting comfort and reassurance. There are a lot of good meals to be had – her mission remains the same, to feed the nation without handing out meat or gluten or sugar – but I think a certain joy is lacking. The photography is through a glass, darkly; the recipes are cautious, lacking in abundance and wonder. She looks wise, centred, holding it together; the recipes, kind of likewise.
"The recipe for Bounty Slice is an example. There’s nothing new or incredible about it. Chocolate and coconut, 20 minutes prep, store in an airtight container. Mind you they look really good."
It speaks our loss of innocence since Chelsea started (2013 or so). We no longer take her at face value. How can anything so simple, so basic, so vanilla, be enough? It’s true of what we eat, as well.
I fckg miss the eighties.
Love your work, Steve
Thank you for the clarification SB. And so elegantly put.
Her latter two books are DEFINITELY melancholic. Have you heard Nigella’s backstory? God! Her mother served her the same congealed leftovers until she ate them. There is definitely a sadness about people who are compelled to feed others
That wasn’t unusual in those days. I loathed porridge but Mum made me sit there and eat it. I would still be sitting there at smoko time when Dad came in from the woolshed. Cold porridge. Then I started tipping it out the window, got caught, and thrashed. It wasn’t thought cruel, but a naughty ungrateful child wasting food.
There’s often a poignant, buried reason why someone has the urge to feed everyone else
Thank you for giving me the complete history of Chelsea Winter. I don't have time to read the cookbooks.
I too have searched for the meaning of food.But there isn't any.
Chelsea Winter is a new name to me, Leah, but the trajectory sounds quite familiar. I've had to adapt my approach to cooking and food as I've got older and health niggles kick in. And I'm remembering how fussy my children were about certain foods now I've got grandchildren!
I'm glad you wrote about your dad last week, it was such a touching tribute.
Yesterday was my mother-in-law's funeral, so that's a different grief to when my own parents died, but still profound, and of course, it affects the whole family. All four of her great-grandchildren were in the front row at the crematorium service. My three-year old grandson saw the slide show on the screen and said, "It's all about Supernana!" I don't know how much he has grasped, but I hope the funeral and wake have left positive memories.
It sounds as lovely as a funeral can be. Thank you, Wendy. Your family is delightful
My younger sister has been a fan for years, calls her Old Mate when posting pics of successful cooks. She also described her as the modern Alison Holst
Chelsea’s skill at introducing each recipe is really underappreciated, I reckon. She’s a bubbly, engaging writer. Your sis sounds fun!