WELCOME TO Gluten Free Kiwi Favourites
i’m natalie
I’m originally from Wellington, and currently living (and baking) in the Bay of Plenty.
I love to create tried-and-tested gluten-free versions of the classic Kiwi and Aussie recipes we all know and love, along with practical guides to help make gluten-free baking and shopping a little easier.
Aside from baking, I love jigsaw puzzles, crochet, sending an assortment of stupid and dark/twisty humour Reels to my friends, and collecting vintage and retro kitchenware, especially milk glass. You will often see pieces from my many collections in my food photos.
I’ve been baking for most of my life. My mother tells a story of me sitting on the bench in the kitchen with her, making “muffins” but refusing to use a recipe. Mum would make sure everything that went into the bowl was edible, and there was some baking powder, but the rest of the made-up recipe was my own. My father, bless him, would then eat whatever I’d made and tell me it was great.
And you know, 30-something years later, not much has changed. I’m still playing with recipes, and my family are still taste-testing them for me, although these days I’m more open to constructive criticism.
(My Dad still eats any disasters anyway, though.)
When my Dad was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 2008, I had to find ways to make our favourite recipes gluten-free.
It’s possible that some of my early gluten free baking attempts were worse than those mystery muffins I made as a 3-year-old. But after some trial and error, I worked out what worked for me, and began to create delicious baked treats that only the pickiest of palates would ever guess were gluten free.
Around 2017, I went gluten free myself due to ongoing health issues, despite testing negative for Coeliac disease at the time. After having improvements in my gut symptoms, I have been eating 100% gluten free ever since.
I started my first website, Sweetness & Bite, in 2013, and over there I share all kinds of sweet treats, desserts, gluten-free recipes and cake decorating tutorials. After living with ME/CFS and other chronic health problems since I was a teenager, it became both a creative outlet and an amazing chance to talk about cakes and baking with people from all over the world.
In late 2019, I realised that while I still love making fancy cakes and desserts, I was also kind of just missing some of the simple Kiwi recipes that my Mum used to make when I was a kid, and that I would help her make (when I wasn’t insisting on making up my own recipes).
So the idea for Gluten Free Kiwi Favourites was born. I wanted to start a new website that could, over time, become a trusted recipe “book” for anyone wanting to fill their baking tins with gluten-free goodies, using tried and tested recipes.
Just like you/your mum/your grandma used to make, but safely gluten free.
about the recipes
All of the recipes on Gluten Free Kiwi Favourites are written and tested by me in our home kitchen. Before they make it to the website, they’re thoroughly taste-tested by me, my family and friends, and the blokes at the local MenzShed.
Where a recipe is inspired by or adapted from a traditional recipe or a recipe created by someone else, it will be noted in the recipe post.
I want my recipe to work for you – that’s the whole reason I create and share them – so if you ever have problems with a recipe, or it doesn’t turn out as expected, please feel free to leave a comment on the post or contact me via email.
And a quick disclaimer – while the name of this website is “Kiwi favourites”, there are recipes on here that didn’t originate in New Zealand, and their appearance isn’t me trying to claim they did. They’re just recipes that happen to be well-loved by Kiwis, and they can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere in the world 💜
where to start
If you’re new to gluten free baking, I recommend you start with my Start Here page, it will walk you through how to safely bake gluten free, and everything else you need to know.
Then check out the recipe index, or take a look at some of my own favourite recipes…
subscribe
Look, I’m not the most prolific email writer, but if you’d like to sign up to receive an email when I publish a new recipe or guide, then you can do that using the button below.