Australian actress Kate Jenkinson, best known for her work across film and television including Wentworth, NCIS: Sydney and Amazing Grace, is turning her attention to the kitchen with the release of her debut cookbook, Half Baked, launching 31 March.
Equal parts cookbook and permission slip, Half Baked is a candid, humorous take on home cooking for people who want food that tastes incredible, without the pressure of perfection. Written in Kate’s unmistakably honest voice, the book celebrates shortcuts, improvisation and feeding yourself well with minimal effort.
“Thanks for buying my book, but I’ve got some bad news for you,” Kate writes. “I’m a sh!t cook. I burn things. A lot. But if I can fool the world into thinking I can cook — then you can too.”
The idea for Half Baked was born in Kate’s Melbourne kitchen during the global pandemic, when she began filming herself making dinner from whatever scraps were left in the fridge. One improvised noodle soup, made with chickpeas instead of chicken, lasagne sheets instead of pasta and vegetables on their last legs, became the unlikely blueprint for the book.
“That soup is a metaphor for me,” Kate says. “Tired, scrappy, chaotic and thrown together at the last minute. Not perfect, but it got the job done.”
That ethos runs through every page of Half Baked. This is not a book about technical mastery or pristine kitchens. It’s about maximum flavour with minimum sweat, cooking for yourself, your friends or your family without overthinking it. Kate proudly claims the titles of “Queen of Quick, Earl of Ease and Sultan of Shortcuts,” and encourages readers to do the same.
Alongside her successful acting career which includes starring roles in the Foxtel series Wentworth, Paramount+’s NCIS: Sydney, Stan’s Amazing Grace and Five Bedrooms, as well as the US sitcom Super Fun Night, Kate has built a loyal audience through her honest, relatable approach to food and life.
Half Baked brings that same warmth and humour to the page, offering recipes that are comforting, achievable and designed for real life, not Instagram perfection.
From her “sh!t kitchen” to yours, Half Baked is an invitation to let go, cook boldly and eat well.
Half Baked by Kate Jenkinson will be available to purchase online at Big W (pre-order out now) as well as instore at major retailers across Australia, from 31 March.
Half Baked
RRP $29.99