The ‘queen of gluten-free’ shares her secrets

Being dubbed “the queen of gluten-free” by Nigella Lawson is no small feat, but with over 50,000 sales of her debut cookbook and her second one already topping Amazon’s bestsellers chart five months before it’s even out, Becky Excell should get used to the success.

The food writer became gluten-free over 10 years ago while at university due to suspected coeliac disease (though as she explains in this blog post, she’s never been properly tested for the condition). Overnight, everything she used to eat was off limits, and she thought she’d never eat nice food ever again. Refusing to give up, she started recreating the recipes she missed most and posting them on her blog.

Fast forward a decade, that same, humble blog has garnered over 30 million views as well as some top foodie and blogger awards. Her first book, How to Make Anything Gluten Free, was released in February and has become the undisputed bible for coeliacs everywhere. Her hotly anticipated second book, How to Bake Anything Gluten Free, is out in September.

Coeliac disease causes the body’s immune system to attack its own tissue after consuming gluten. Symptoms range from nausea to stomach pains to neurological issues, yet it’s often not taken seriously and assumed to be a weight-loss choice.

Want a sneak peak of her new book? Try out three recipes here

As it’s Coeliac Awareness Week, we spent five minutes with the best-selling author to talk all things gluten-free, her favourite myths to bust and top tips for eating out as restaurants reopen.

How did it feel being endorsed by Nigella Lawson?

Utterly surreal. I now live in this permanent state where I have to pinch myself every 10 seconds to check if I’m actually awake. That would sort of imply that it’s a dream come true, but in reality, Nigella giving my first cookbook How To Make Anything Gluten Free her seal of approval is something that wouldn’t even happen in my wildest dreams.

It’s a bit like if you wrote your first song and Elton John gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up. It’s not exactly something you could have reasonably expected in a million years, is it?! I’m now going back and re-watching old episodes of MasterChef Australia where Nigella occasionally features as a guest judge – it only makes the whole thing seem even more outrageous to me!

To use the platform she’s worked so hard for to personally spotlight new authors and cookbooks just says everything you need to know about her to be honest.

So, is it true you can make anything gluten-free?

If you’re asking me, then yes – most definitely! However, you might be greeted with some very sceptical looks if you ask your average gluten-free person the same question.

A lot of people genuinely believe that all gluten-free food always tastes worse than gluten-containing food and often, I don’t blame them. I used to believe that too. We so often judge gluten-free food based on what we buy, not what’s truly possible in the kitchen.

For example, one of the main complaints I always receive is that gluten-free crackers always fall apart and crumble into dust. And in my experience, they do – they literally break into pieces just from trying to spread some butter on them! And voila, gluten-free crackers suddenly have a tarnished reputation; people assume that they then must be impossible to make gluten-free. Otherwise, why would they be like that when you buy them?

But in reality, you can easily make crackers that look and taste like a gluten-containing cracker and they don’t disintegrate when you spread butter on them. You won’t even need tons of strange or exotic ingredients to make them nor is it any harder or more complicated either.

You just need the right recipe and a bite of the end result as proof to prove to yourself that it’s all possible. And, of course, that notion applies to everything when it comes to gluten-free cooking and baking.

Do you prefer cooking, or baking?

The stats

• 1 in 100 people in the UK have been diagnosed with coeliac disease.

• An estimated half a million people don’t know they have the condition and are struggling with unexplained symptoms, that’s around 75% who are undiagnosed.

• 15% of households avoiding gluten for various health reasons.

• The average length of time taken for someone to be diagnosed with the disease from the onset of symptoms is 13 years.

• Reported cases of coeliac disease are around 3 times higher in women than men.

• It is a myth that you can grow out of coeliac disease – once you are diagnosed, you have it for life.

• Coeliac disease is a genetic condition and runs in families – studies show that if someone in a family has the condition, there is a 1 in 10 chance of a close relative developing the disease.

• It is estimated that for every person diagnosed with coeliac disease, 7 to 8 people remain undiagnosed.

• It can affect people at any point in their lives – more than 50% of people are diagnosed between the age of 40 and 60.

I would usually choose cooking as dinner is a daily ritual whether you like it or not, with lots of room to rediscover all the dishes on my gluten-free bucket list. Fortunately, my boyfriend has helped me to recreate some gluten-free Chinese dishes in the fakeaways chapter in my first book, otherwise I’d still be missing takeaways like mad!

But for some reason, us gluten-free folks are so often obsessed with baking and I’m the same – I guess we just miss cakes and dessert the most! Nothing brings me more joy than recreating cakes and bakes that I used to enjoy as a kid; everything from jam roly poly to eclairs, profiteroles, custard slices, sticky toffee pudding and tons more.

No matter how many times I make them, they possess this strange ability to take you back to being that exact age again, when you could eat whatever you want, whenever you want! And because of that, baking will always be slightly magical to me.

What advice do you have for someone who’s just been diagnosed with coeliac disease (or other condition that prohibits gluten)?

Firstly, join as many gluten-free Facebook groups as possible (starting with mine of course!). Whether you get involved and post messages in the groups or not is irrelevant – you can learn so, so much from your fellow gluten-free eaters just from observing the daily chatter. That includes discovering new gluten-free products, recipes, places to eat out or just chat about general struggles. And more often than not, there’s tons of friendly people who will answer any more specific queries you have. There’s no need to go it alone with great (and free) support networks like these available.

Secondly, get used to reading the ingredients labels and allergy warnings on food packaging. In the last decade, I think I’ve read more words on packaging than I have in books – but I’m ok with that! The sooner you develop the habit of picking up a product and looking at the ingredients, the better.

What’s your favourite myth to bust about gluten-free food?

I’ve touched on this already, but it’s this: gluten-free food doesn’t have to look or taste worse than regular food.

The hardest thing about busting that myth is that you’re often battling against people’s years and years of experience that tells them otherwise. As I said, I didn’t used to believe it was possible either, so I definitely understand the scepticism! My experience most definitely taught me otherwise too.

But honestly, all it takes is one bite of something that doesn’t taste gluten-free whatsoever and that myth is banished for good. My entire first book is basically a myth buster, which is sort of where the inspiration behind the title came from – it’s something that, if I saw it on a shelf years ago, it would instantly piqued my interest… because I wouldn’t have believed it was possible!

Tips for eating out at restaurants while gluten-free?

Research, research, research! I know that suddenly makes eating out seem really boring as you seem to need to do homework before eating, but trust me, it’ll make the whole process infinitely less stressful.

Start with the restaurant’s website and have a look at the menu. Are gluten-free options clearly labelled? Do they state any information about cross-contamination? I always joke that I know exactly what I’m going to order before I even arrive at the restaurant, but it’s only funny because it’s true.

Read more:

• Think outside the banana: Save those skins for two delicious, and unconventional, recipes

• What I learnt from a year of cooking Korean food with my mother

• Seven days’ worth of meat-free dishes to get you through National Vegetarian Week

Next, contact the restaurant. If you’ve made a booking, let them know your dietary requirements as soon as possible; it often gives them an appreciated heads up and they can prepare ahead of time (obviously this likely won’t apply to fast-food chains, but it’s always a good idea!) You will also want to query how they prepare gluten-free food - is it prepared in a separate area? How likely is cross-contamination and do they have steps to reduce it happening?

And if possible, always make sure you get to choose where you eat! There’s nothing worse than being invited somewhere that has no clue about gluten-free and putting yourself at risk. If so, inform whoever booked the restaurant and ideally, suggest somewhere safe as an alternative if necessary. The sooner friends and family get used to your requirements and are aware of them, the easier things will become in time.

‘How to Bake Anything Gluten Free’ by Becky Excell (Quadrille, £20) is out 30 September 2021 and available to preorder now.

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