I'm Katja, a chef from Slovenia, based in London and the name behind Cooked by Katja: plant-led, homemade food for people who love to eat.

My cooking is predominantly plant-based, with fish and seafood when the dish or the table calls for it. Thai is the strongest influence, the cuisine I fell hardest for, but I draw freely from wherever the season leads, whether Middle Eastern, Japanese, or Mediterranean. The thread through every dish is the same: fresh, bright ingredients, layered flavour, and food that genuinely makes you feel good after you've eaten it. Where possible, I source organic and locally.

I created Cooked by Katja to show that eating well doesn't have to be bland, expensive, or complicated. A few simple ingredients, combined the right way, can transform how you eat and how you feel. The bigger goal is to help people cook and eat better, and to improve the quality of their daily life through what's on their plate.

I trained at Bettina's Cooking Academy, completed the Nutrition in Culinary Practice course at Leiths School of Food and Wine in 2023, and qualified as a Thai Culinary Chef at the Bangkok Thai Culinary Academy. I'm also a certified nutritional therapist, which is particularly useful when designing menus for clients with specific dietary needs or health goals.