Sally Holland wrote her new cookbook after her husband Bill was diagnosed with coeliac disease. Photo/supplied
Life has been a whirlwind of television appearances and media interviews for Tauranga author Sally Holland since launching her cookbook Goodbye Gluten in December last year.
With Coeliac Awareness Week this month, she has been busier than ever.
In the past fortnight Sally has been back and forth to Auckland, to appear on The Cafe and Radiolive's Saturday Fresh, and to attend the Gluten Free Food and Allergy Show, where she was both an exhibitor and guest demonstrator.
Prior to that she has appeared on Good Morning and hosted an exclusive cooking class at Cook the Books bookstore in Auckland - and her book has featured in more than 25 publications and blogs, including leading titles such as Cuisine, New Zealand House and Garden, Dish and the New Zealand Woman's Weekly.
Last week Sally and her book even got a special mention from New Zealand musician Brooke Fraser, after Sally penned a special Wilde Chocolate Lamingtons recipe in honour of Fraser's baby daughter Dylan Wilde. "This blessed my lil heart so much," Instagrammed Fraser, who follows a gluten-free diet and is partial to lamingtons.
"I thought it would take at least a year to sell, if not more, but last month I had to do a second print run because I was running out."
Coinciding with the second shipment of books, Sally has taken on a distributor to keep up with the growing demand - and to free up her garage.
Up until recently she stored all the books at her central Tauranga home, supplying to a few stores locally and to Whitcoulls nationwide after they came knocking on her door asking if they could stock her book because so many people were asking for it.
It's been an amazing few months. Interest in my book has exceeded all expectations.
The phenomenal interest in Sally's book is testament to the growing number of people choosing to follow a gluten-free diet.
According to Coeliac New Zealand, one in 70 New Zealanders has coeliac disease, however up to 80 per cent of them are unaware that they have the condition.
While there are those who choose to follow a gluten-free diet simply because they say it makes them feel better, coeliac disease is an autoimmune disorder, caused by a reaction to gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye and oats.
Diagnosed by a gastroscopy procedure, the only treatment for coeliac disease currently is to follow a lifelong gluten-free diet.
Sally wrote Goodbye Gluten after her husband Bill was diagnosed with coeliac disease. Both self-confessed 'foodies' who enjoyed entertaining, Sally wanted to create delicious food that everyone would want to eat, not just those suffering from coeliac disease.
"It was such a life-changing moment for us and, even though I have a background in food technology, I was genuinely worried that our enjoyment of food would be compromised.
But that hasn't been the case at all. If anything, it has expanded our food repertoire," says Sally.
Goodbye Gluten comprises six chapters, including dedicated chapters for children's recipes and Christmas, but it is Sally's baking that has really struck a chord with people.
I really feel for people who are not as confident in the kitchen and I wanted to share the knowledge I had gained with others who are faced with the same predicament.
The secret to its success is her flour mix recipe, which is made with four easy-to-source, inexpensive ingredients. All recipes in her book that call for flour have been developed with this flour mix, ensuring consistent results every time.
"Gluten-free baking can be extremely challenging as it is gluten that gives wheat flour its elasticity," explains Sally.
"Store-bought gluten-free flours can vary widely - one brand can have a different mix of flours from another, or have the same ingredients but in different proportions. There is no guarantee one flour will work across the board for all recipes. I got around this by creating my own flour mix and refining all my recipes with this mix."
It is often said that food brings people together, but if you have coeliac disease it can set you apart, says Sally.
"I have had some amazing feedback from people, telling me how Goodbye Gluten has changed their lives. When someone tells you that it's the best scone they have had in seven years, or that it has inspired them to bake for the first time in years, it is really heart-warming. That is why I wrote Goodbye Gluten - because food is to be enjoyed and shared," she says.
"That's what makes it all worthwhile."