Q&A: Vanya Insull, cookbook author

Congratulations on the release of your third cookbook, Everyday Comfort Food. Looking back to when you first started your blog, VJ Cooks, almost ten years ago, did you ever imagine you would publish multiple books?

It’s kind of unbelievable, really. From posting on Facebook once a week and having a few hundred followers, to now more than 700 recipes on my website which gets at least 40,000 visits a day. We have 369,000 followers on Facebook (214,000 on Instagram) and are three cookbooks out, with more to come.  

How does this cookbook differ from the others?

I think of my three books as a trio. The first was Everyday Favourites, which covered lots of easy dinners, baking and desserts. Summer Favourites was more about entertaining, as well as recipes for salads and the barbecue. Everyday Comfort Food ticks the boxes for cosy, wintery meals like hearty soups, slow-cooker recipes, pies and warm puddings.   

What is your ultimate go-to winter recipe for warmth and comfort?

My favourite recipe in this new book is my slow-roasted pulled lamb, which I serve with homemade flatbreads and a feta whip. It’s like a new take on a classic. 

On the day I was testing this recipe, my three sisters and their partners just happened to turn up. Now I have this really fond memory attached to the recipe, of us all enjoying it together. 

Has having children influenced how you approach cooking or the type of meals you prepare?

They were the inspiration, really. When I first started cooking for my family, it was about cutting corners in terms of all the ingredients and time spent cooking, but without compromising on taste. I wanted to be able to create meals they would eat, and that my husband and I could enjoy too. And it was also important to use things we already had in the pantry, fridge and freezer. 

But sometimes, no matter what you make, your kids just won’t eat it, and that’s okay. You’ve got to pick your battles sometimes. I was so fussy as a child, eating plain pasta with salt was one of my favourite foods. But now here I am, always trying new things! I think lots of parents like hearing that; not only that I turned out okay, but that my boys don’t eat everything I make.

Do you have any special family food traditions?

My family loves food, so it is always the main feature of any celebration or special occasion. We have a regular quiz night with extended family with a different country as a theme and we all have to bring a plate of traditional food from that culture.

My eldest son, Archie, loves making desserts, so he’ll sometimes potter around in the kitchen making his favourite self-saucing chocolate pudding. 

What advice would you offer to people who find themselves unmotivated about cooking?

Making and eating yummy food doesn’t have to be complicated, so don’t stress yourself out by straying too far from your favourite flavours, otherwise it will make you resent cooking even more. Once you feel more comfortable and confident, you might want to try something new! I think it is also helpful to have a bit of a plan, so you’re not panicking every day and wondering what you’re going to make for dinner that night.     

Tell us about your role as an ambassador for Kura Kai. (Kura Kai is a charity that raises funds to buy chest freezers which are donated to high schools and are kept stocked by volunteers who cook and supply nutritious family meals).

There is a Kura Kai freezer at Tauhara College in Taupō. Every few months my team and I spend the morning cooking meals for local families in need. Local businesses also spend time preparing meals. It’s great to see the support for the community and to be a part of that. I had been looking for a charity to support and when founder Makaia Carr reached out to me last year, it seemed the perfect fit. My platform allows me to spread the message about Kura Kai, and hopefully encourage more people to get involved. 

Has your involvement with the charity changed your perspective on food?

I think it has aligned perfectly with what I’ve always tried to achieve with my recipes: spend the least amount of time and money on a meal, but still pack it full of flavour so it’s enjoyable to eat. I also really like cooking in bulk, as it’s another way to save time and money. I’m always thinking about recipes that are easy to double (or even triple) so you have a yummy meal that can be frozen in portions and reheated. 

The families that Kura Kai feed are often in emergency housing, so we need to be mindful that things like ovens aren’t always accessible and consider that with what we make.        

What are you most proud of achieving in your career so far?

I love my partnership with Kura Kai. To get to a place where I’m able to support a charity is really rewarding. I’m also proud to have built an amazing team around me; it’s awesome working with a bunch of people who are also my friends. 

I was excited to launch my meal planning app last year – the VJ Cooks app. We’ve recently rebranded it to CookPlan, to widen the audience and give it a fresh look. The feedback from users is incredible and it makes me so happy to have helped people with their meal planning and organisation and in a lot of cases, save money on their grocery shopping, too.   

What are your plans for the future?

Growing the CookPlan app is a priority. I’ll be creating two more cookbooks; we’re shooting book four in my studio in November for release in Spring 2026. Then book five will be out in 2028. There’s also something else in the pipeline that I’m really excited about, but I can’t talk about it just yet!