30 Seconds with Becky Excell, the Queen of Gluten-Free, 7x Sunday Times best-selling author, content creator, campaigner and presenter.

 

How did your journey into gluten-free cooking start?

“It started back in 2009 when my doctor advised me to follow a gluten-free diet after months of feeling unwell (though, I hindsight, I should have been tested for Coeliac disease before being told to make the switch).
At the time, the gluten-free options on supermarket shelves – what little there were – were usually dry, crumbly, or just didn’t taste right. Eating out became incredibly difficult, with only bland, uninspired choices available, and dining abroad was even worse with the added challenge of language barriers.
Living through that experience for several years led to serious FOMO and frustration, which ultimately pushed me to start creating my own recipes. But when I began sharing them online in 2013, it was the appreciation and kind messages from others that truly kept me going – and I’ve never looked back since.”

How do you come up with your recipes?

“I usually come up with my recipes by thinking about, and asking people, what they genuinely miss eating on a gluten-free diet – and 99.9% of the time, they’re the exact same things I miss eating too. Often, these are the kinds of foods that most ‘normal’ people take for granted, not necessarily fine dining. Think sausage rolls, scotch eggs, Chinese takeaway, indulgent desserts or even something as humble as a slice of Victoria sponge. Often I’ll walk past a bakery filled with wonderful-looking bakes and loaves in the window, none of which I can eat, so I’ll go home and try to recreate them in a gluten-free form as closely as possible. When you’re gluten-free, inspiration is everywhere, which is simultaneously very helpful for me, but also a little frustrating knowing that we can’t enjoy ourselves like everyone else in a spontaneous manner.”

What do you wish more people understood about living gluten-free?

“I wish more people understood that living gluten-free isn’t a lifestyle choice for most of us… it’s an absolute necessity.
It’s not about being trendy or trying to be healthy – for a lot of people, even a tiny crumb can make them really ill for days and potentially cause serious long term health complications. That’s why cross-contamination matters, and why we can’t just pick the croutons off a salad or share a toaster. I think if more people understood the seriousness of it,
there’d be less stigma and more support, especially in restaurants and social situations. It’s not about being fussy, it’s about being safe. The more awareness there is, the more likely we can eat out with confidence and simply enjoy the normality that so many take for granted.”

What are you working on or up to at the moment?

“Right now, I’m actually trying to take things a little easier. Releasing seven books in four years has been incredible, but also exhausting. While I’m always thinking about and working on new recipes, I’m also exploring how I can support people living gluten-free in other, more meaningful ways.
I’ve also realised I want to share more of myself online, not just the food. For well over a decade I’ve focused purely on recipes, but there’s a lot that goes on behind the camera – everything from struggling with friendship and fitting in to off-topic things I’m super passionate about. In the past, I’ve kept parts of my life quite private, but it feels exciting to let people see behind the curtain a little and get to know more about me. So, I’m leaning into that and I hope everyone’s interested in coming along for the ride!”

 

Buy Becky’s latest #1 Sunday Times bestseller: Budget Gluten-Free
Visit Becky’s website: glutenfreecuppatea.co.uk
Follow Becky on Instagram: @beckyexcell