It’s been 2 months – and I’m back. Much has happened!
Two months ago, I confessed I was burnt out and needed to take a break from publishing new recipes so I had time to recalibrate and find a better work-life balance.
I love what I do and never want to stop. So I had to make changes to avoid burning out again.
Though I didn’t get much time off, stepping away from creating and filming recipes freed up time so I could implement some positive changes. Things have been busy but manageable, I’ve cleared my to-do list and regained my spark. Here’s what’s happened!
Better Homes & Gardens TV show
SO EXCITING!!! We had Johanna Griggs from the beloved TV show Better Homes & Gardens spend a day with us to film “a day in the life of”. We started at the construction site that is my home-to be:
We then moved onto RecipeTin Meals (“RTM”, our foodbank) where we showed Joh our kitchen and she got to see first hand the team making and packing hundreds of meals!
We even got Joh to lend a hand with the packing. I thought she was a bit stingy with the garnishes. JB thought she was a bit slow. Maybe they’ll speed her up in the edits. 
And the final stop was my mother’s house, where we wrapped gyoza together then sat down to enjoy a Japanese feast:
It was a huge and long day, with a lot of moving parts, well over 40 people involved in the day, from the tradies on the construction site, to my team at RTM, RTE staff working behind the scenes, as well as of course the wonderful BHG crew.
But SO MUCH FUN! We all think Joh Griggs should run for PM. Smart as a whip. Everybody loves her.
Speaking of my home
It started out as a little kitchen renovation.
It’s evolved into a head-to-toe heritage house restoration. 
Every stone upturned revealed another set of problems, from termite damage requiring the complete removal of all the flooring and joists throughout the whole house, to installing a complete new stormwater system throughout the whole property to replace the non-existent one, and rewiring the whole house.
Right at this moment, I’m in a bit of denial, just dealing with one problem at a time, putting on a poised calm facade (OK, that’s a blatant lie, there have been dismal wails aplenty). And feeling lucky that I have a team I can trust so we can work through these challenges together, and that we have a great line of communication with the local council.
I also know that it was not a wise decision, choosing a run down heritage house as my new home. Truth is, I fell in love with the idea of a home filled with character and I was desperate to move out of the office (after 9 years of it, I was done!). So I didn’t do enough research. I was prepared to do a fair amount of works to fix it. I didn’t expect every inch of the house – every blade of grass, every slate tile on the roof, every gutter – to need complete repair or replacement.
Onwards. No more complaining! I brought this on myself.
My motley crew – Team RecipeTin
Exciting news on the team front!
Chef JB is back at HQ!
JB, our RecipeTin group head chef, was seconded to RecipeTin Meals for the past year to help optimize the new kitchen, expanding meal production from 500 to 600 each day, and tripling the meal variety we offer.
Though often pulled into special RTE projects, he’s now back full-time! His return lightens my workload and brings top-tier “chef standard” to everything – from quick meals to more challenging dishes that keeps things interesting around here (Singapore Chilli Crab, anyone? 
).
It also opens up the opportunities for us to do fun things like pop ups and live cooking shows. So glad he’s back – and excited for the year ahead!
New kitchen hand at RTM!
And in related exciting news, we have a new member at team RTM – meet Harry!
Harry just started with us yesterday, replacing JB at RTM. I am not sure that Harry expected his first day in his new job to end with a giant photo of his face on my website!
He was also rather surprised that we welcomed him with cake and a balloon on his first day. Apparently that doesn’t happen in normal kitchen jobs.
MEET DENELLE, MY NEW ASSISTANT!
Yaaaay!! I have a right hand woman!
The search for Denelle was certainly an experience. Expecting only perhaps a hundred applicants due to location limits, I planned to do the recruiting myself – until over 2,000 applications flooded in. Everybody wants to work with Dozer! 
Overwhelmed, I quickly realised I’m not built for recruitment (I would’ve hired 48 out of the first 50 who applied 
).
Enter Est 10, a specialist recruitment firm that made the process seamless with their incredible efficiency, professionalism, and personal touch. Their expertise turned a daunting task into a pleasure, and I met some truly exceptional candidates along the way. Which brings me to my next point:
A big thank you to everyone who applied!
To everyone who took the time to apply, thank you so very much. The response was truly overwhelming, and I was blown away by the incredible talent, passion, and enthusiasm that was apparent in so many applications.
I know how much effort goes into putting yourself forward for a role, and I want you to know that every application was reviewed by a recruitment specialist and not a machine. If I could have hired more of you, I absolutely would have!
Wishing you all the best in your careers, and who knows – our paths may cross again in the future!
RecipeTin Meals News
There is always happenings at RTM!
torrential rain damage
We had a ceiling collapse and water pouring into the kitchen about 6 weeks ago during sudden torrential rains. It happened in the middle of the day when the team was right in the middle of the cook.
Thanks to the quick thinking of the team, we lost very little stock to water damage. This is Stephen, the head chef at RTM, saturated from head to toe after diving under the waterfall to save what he could:
Amazingly, we only had one day we couldn’t cook. And we still managed to provide 600 meals on that day as we keep a stash of frozen meals for such emergencies.
We increased our meals to 600!
And on the topic of the meals we make – we increased our meals to 600 per day, up from 500! This equates to 156,000 meals per year – that’s a lot of hungry tummies filled!
We’ve progressively increased meals since moving into our current kitchen, from 400 daily when we first moved to 600. Partially due to new equipment which enables us to cook at scale more efficiently, and partially due to continued improvement in workflow.
I’m so proud of my team, those working at RTM who make the meals happen every day, and those working on the RTE side of the business that makes RTM possible (because the income we earn on the RTE side is what funds RTM).
We haven’t hit the ceiling yet. There is more to come, more food support we can offer!
My book released in the Netherlands!
The first non-English edition of my book, Vanavond (Dutch for this evening), launched in the Netherlands last week – so exciting! Any Dutch readers around? Get it here!
But I had a little mix-up when announcing it – “I’m in the Netherlands!” I posted on Facebook, only to have people eagerly ask where I’d be signing books. Had to quickly clarify – it’s my book that’s there, not me!
Launch of “Earning Power”
I was honoured to be featured as a case study in Earning Power by Roxanne Calder, founder of Est 10 recruitment. The book explores closing the gender pay gap and is a valuable resource about maximising earnings potential. The discussions covered my corporate career as well as the journey of building RecipeTin.
I was so happy to see Earning Power so well received at launch and admire Roxanne’s dedication to empowering women – without diminishing men. Honestly, my mentors in the corporate world and the business people I admired the most were all men.
PS: I couldn’t fit a single cupcake in that itty-bitty bag. Hence my love for giant bags!
You’re caught up!
And that. my friends, (mostly) catches you up on the happenings of the last 2 months.
For me, the two biggest things that will change the way forward is having an assistant again – just having an extra pair of hands around has been an instant help – and JB coming back to HQ. I’ve caught up on sleep, life admin, I’ve been able to spend more time at RTM (which I really enjoy doing, I just like being there), and just generally getting a better work-life balance.
I’m even going to try to drop down to 4 days a week for the next little while (I know, gasp, shock, horror!!).
That might be a little ambitious, but one must have goals!
Importantly though, I’m recharged, back to my chirpy self, and inspired to get back in the kitchen again. Here’s to a great remainder of 2025 filled with delicious new recipes! – Nagi x
Life of Dozer
A handful of photos and nothing new. Still thinks every steak has his name on it:
Always my shadow in the kitchen:
Substantial pool time (though his days of leaping into the pool are over, these days he just tends to spa):
No such thing as a peaceful brunch when he’s around:
Resigning himself to the latest dog-wear:
And just looking cute:
Love this fur ball so, so much. 
