I receive many emails asking all sorts of questions, I thought it best to round them all up in one place for all to see…
Important note: I use New Zealand standard cups and measuring spoons in all of my recipes.
1 cup = 250ml
1 teaspoon = 5 ml
1 tablespoon = 15 ml
One standard Australian tablespoons is 20ml (though just to confuse everyone, many 15ml tbsp are now sold in Australia too!). This will not usually affect a recipe. However for baking recipes I suggest using 3 teaspoons in place of every tablespoon to be on the safe side.
How can I convert grams into ounces?
You can divide the grams by 28.375 to give you the amount in ounces.
Are brown and white rice flours interchangeable?
Kinda. I prefer to use fine ground brown rice flour, but if you like using white rice flour or can’t get your hands of finely ground brown rice flour, use white rice flour instead. I find brown rice flour absorbs more liquid than white though so you may find you need to add a touch more if using white rice flour. Also use weights not cups as the two flours have different weights. If you are wanting to substitute any of the other gluten-free flours I use, feel free to play around. But again use the equal amount in grams, not cups as different flours have different weights.
Do you ever use store-bought gluten-free flour?
No. While I think they are a great place to start if you’re new to gluten-free to make life easier, they have no nutritional goodness at all, and I don’t like the gums they have in them. I prefer to use a combination of flours, which differs for every recipe. For a full write up of all the different flours I use and why, see the ingredients pages in either of my cookbooks.
Are you dairy-free as well as gluten-free?
There was a time when the kids and I were strictly gluten and dairy-free. A time of around 2 years. I’ve slowly re-introduced foods back into our diet and at this stage we can tolerate yoghurt, feta, butter and cream (in small amounts). Since our coeliac tests came back negative, my son occasionally eats wheat and/or dairy products when out or at someones house, but both my daughter and I eat strictly gluten-free. The recipes you will find on this blog are all gluten-free.
How long have you been Vegetarian?
My whole life. Hippy parents.
Is your whole family vegetarian?
No. My husband eats meat, wheat and dairy. The kids go between eating vegetarian and sometimes including a little animal protein.
How do you afford to eat gluten-free? It’s really expensive.
Yes it is. If you are buying pre-packaged gluten-free that is. Don’t. Make your own food, from scratch. Your body and wallet will love you for it.
Do you have any tips for newbie gluten and/or dairy free eaters?
Yes I do. Right here.
What camera do you use?
I shoot with a 5d mark iii + either my 50mm lens or 100 macro lens.
What’s the story behind the name My Darling Lemon Thyme?
I used to call my daughter ‘my darling Clementine’ after that old children’s song, you know the one. So anyway, when she was around 3 ½ she got a bit mixed up and started calling me ‘my darling lemon thyme.’ When I started my blog a few months later I thought it was too cute not to use, especially as she enjoys cooking as much as I do.
Who takes the photos on this blog?
I do, unless credited otherwise. Same goes for the styling.
You are from New Zealand but you live in Australia?
I’m a born and raised kiwi (New Zealander) but have spent a good chunk of my adult life living in various parts of Australia. We moved to Perth, WA not long after I started this blog and lived there for 5 years. We moved home to NZ in 2016.
Do you take supplements?
I do, mostly a good iron supplement, a good B Vitamin (B12 is super important to take if you don’t eat meat), magnesium and a probiotic. I often take evening primrose oil, garlic and zinc (the last two especially during winter). I drink about a litre of stinging nettle tea a day (recipe here), which is high in iron as well as other vitamins and minerals. We all take a general combination 12 tissue salt daily, as well as Vitamin C.
Can I send you my products so you can review them on your blog?
I don’t do product reviews on my blog. I do occasionally accept products if they genuinely interest me and I give them a shout out through my social media channels. I make no promises to highlight your product just because you have sent me a free sample. I only recommend products I genuinely love. I do occasionally accept cookbooks for review, but keep in mind I will only review books that are in line with my ethos. Get in touch via my contact form.
Can we hire you to develop recipes/style/photograph our product or partner with you to do social media/sponsored blog posts?
I do a couple of sponsored blog posts per year with companies that align with my beliefs. Same goes for social media posts. If you think your product suits me and my audience please get in contact via my contact form and I’ll send you my media kit, we can go from there. I work as a freelance recipe developer/stylist and photographer, if you like to work with me, get in touch.
Do you have ad space on your blog?
Not at the moment, but this may change in the future. Please get in contact via the form at the top of my page.
I’ve spotted a few spelling and grammar mistakes on here..
Oh yes. There are always a few, sometimes many 😉 I am the worlds worst speller. I’d hate for you to see my posts prior to spell check! If you could leave a little comment under the post, or email me that would be great!
Can I use your recipe and/or photo on my site?
I’d rather you didn’t. By all means re-work one of my recipes to suit your tastes, but write it in your own words and take your own pictures. It’s a breech of copyright to copy someone’s work. I’m sure your readers would rather see your version anyway, as they read your blog to see what you are cooking. Also give credit where credit is due. If you are a company/website and would like to use a recipe of mine, please email for current rates and permissions. I also work as a freelance recipe developer/stylist/photographer, if this is something of interests please get in touch.
I’m also corn-free, rice-free, “insert something-free here” can you offer substitutions for your recipes?
That all depends on how much spare time I have when you ask. Simply leave a comment under the recipe. I can offer substitution ideas, but you’ll have to take it from there, it’s not possible for me to re-work every recipe. I am a mum.
How do I subscribe to your posts?
The best way to ensure you never miss a post is to sign up via email, to do this simply pop your email into the box on the ‘Subscribe’ page at the top of my site. You can also subscribe via RSS or if you prefer you can choose to keep updated via facebook, twitter, instagram or pinterest.
