This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Happy New Year! For the past few years, I’ve done an annual recap to give a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the inner workings of Salt & Lavender over the last year along with some personal updates. Read on if you’re curious!
Check out my 2022 and 2021 recaps as well.
An eventful year
It’s been a crazy year. If you follow me on Instagram, you may be aware that in February, the S&L team relocated from Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) to beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. The main reason was to escape the long winters, and we definitely achieved that. As I write this and look outside my window, I see green and even some flowers in bloom. Undeniably, 2023 was a year of change and hard work on both a personal and business level!
Some big news
We wrote a cookbook. Yes, after years of readers asking, we finally said “Let’s just go for it!”, and we couldn’t be more excited (despite the insane amount of work. Like, many sleepless nights). The tentative release date for Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials is spring 2024! It’s a collection of tried and true reader favorites. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my sister, who used to be an editor before joining S&L. To stay tuned on all the updates for when you can get your hands on it, sign up for our weekly mailing list.
Blog highlights from 2023
- I’m thrilled to say it’s been a record year for Salt & Lavender for traffic. We had over 36 million visitors with more than 65 million pageviews.
- The most visited recipe in 2023 was my Super Easy Creamy Tomato Pasta (published in 2021), and the most popular recipe that was published in 2023 was this Crockpot Pork Tenderloin.
- Our new recipe template that we launched in 2022 with ingredients shots, step-by-step photos, and comprehensive information for success in the kitchen continues to be so well received by readers! We’ve been working hard to republish many old recipes this past year in this format to make the user experience that much better with new photos and better info.
- In the fall our website redesign dropped, making a more user-friendly and streamlined interface with a prettier design. It was a big undertaking, and we are super happy with the results.
- My sister continues to play a big role in the website. She does research, writing, editing, Pinterest, lots of analytics and spreadsheets galore, and more! Dream team.
Moving to Vancouver
- It’s been an adjustment, for sure. So many forms to fill out for an inter-provincial move. But this winter, every time I go outside, I still expect that burst of arctic air to greet me and instantly freeze my face. Instead, I find myself overheating in a hoodie! 🙂
- Getting to explore my new city has been so much fun. I love the majestic ocean and mountain views, and the restaurant options are great. Definitely a west coast gal at heart. My sister and I have also been fortunate enough to have some of our Edmonton friends come out to visit so we can show off our new city.
Travel updates
- I traveled to Chicago for the first time! My sister has been there over a dozen times, and I finally got to see it through her eyes and why she adores it. It’s an amazing food city, the architecture and riverwalk and lakefront are lovely, the people are so friendly, and I did more shopping than I anticipated. I highly recommend it, especially for Gibson’s steakhouse.
- I also went to San Diego again with my lovely friend Danae from Recipe Runner, and it’s a new tradition I cherish. We stayed at our usual haunt, the Hotel del Coronado. Best times and plenty of seafood.
- Regular readers know I love visiting the desert, so of course I went to Phoenix! I spent some good times with my wonderful amiga Isabel from TastyAZ. I hope you enjoy her Latin-inspired recipes as much as I do. She always brings me Crumbl cookies when I visit, and it’s the sweetest thing ever.
Social media
- The S&L Instagram account reached 700K followers this year, which is very exciting.
- Pinterest continues to be an awesome way to connect to new and regular readers and drive traffic to the blog, and we’re very active on there. Give us a follow!
- Threads became a thing, and we sorta do extra stuff over there in addition to recipe content and are active on TikTok every so often, too.
And finally,
Wishing all my readers the best for a happy and prosperous 2024. Thank you so much for following along! Each star rating and review you leave on the recipes is so appreciated. As always, S&L is looking forward to bringing you more delicious recipes in the new year.
YOUR recipes are FABULOUS, Natasha ! I’m an older, recently divorced guy who’s really just “learning” to prepare my own meals for ONE. And every one of your recipes I’ve tried has turned out great, with easy-to-follow & understand directions.
THANK YOU and I look forward to many more thoroughly enjoyable meals.
John (“J.D.”)
Thank you so much for following along, JD!! 😀 I appreciate you taking the time to write me a comment, and I’m so glad the recipes are working well for you! Happy new year!
Wish you a fantastic new year! Lots of creativity and success! Thank you for great recipes!! Easy & quick to prepare, always delicious! Cheers 2024!!
Thank you so much!! Happy new year to you!! XO
Thank you for all that you have done for your followers this (and previous) years, Natasha. All the very best wishes for a super 2024, with lots of lovely recipes!!
Kindest regards from the UK.
Thank you so much, Colin!! 😀 Happy new year to you as well!