Interview: Thermobexta (Bec Allum)

Rebecca Allum is the face behind Thermobexta. If you own a Thermomix or other thermo cooker, you may already have discovered her recipes.

There’s a thriving Facebook group and her latest book “All Day Eats” is almost due for release.

Despite her busy schedule, Bec took some time to chat with Beauty and Lace. Get to know her in the following interview:

Tell us a little about yourself…

I live in Perth, WA, with my partner Russ and our three daughters – Sophia, Sienna, and Evie. I love spending time with my family and together we like going camping, swimming, 4Wding and entertaining at home.

Tell us how your Thermobexta journey began…

I purchased my first Thermomix second-hand back in 2011. It took me about six months to start using it to its full potential, after making a decision to start making everything we ate from scratch. In the beginning, I was following recipes but there really wasn’t much out there in the way of great Thermomix recipes.

I began developing my own creations and sharing them in a couple of Facebook groups. In 2013 I started my own Thermomix group and my food blog and the rest, as they say, is history!

Do you need a Thermomix to cook your recipes?

My recipes can be cooked in any brand of thermal cooker. They can also be made the old-fashioned way – with a good knife, a chopping board, saucepans, a blender and a frying pan. This said, if someone hasn’t had any experience with a thermal cooker, it may be difficult for them to decipher the time/temperature/speed combo that my recipes use.

Do you have to be a vegetarian to enjoy these recipes?

Most definitely not. I am out to prove that vegetarian food can be so very satisfying and that enjoying good vego meals doesn’t have to leave you feeling like something was missing.

Some of my favourite feedback from people is that they took a punt buying a couple of my books, not sure how their family would go eating meat-free meals, and now they’re eating regular vegetarian meals every week. I do also include many meat variations on the meals in my books.

How long does it take to write each book?

It can take me a bit of time to get into writing each new book. Once I’m in the zone, though, I work really hard and cook a lot! It’s important to me to cater to a wide range of dietary needs, so most recipes have several versions to ensure they can be made free from gluten, dairy, eggs, and nuts.

I make all versions myself and have everything tested several times by our team of amazing recipe testers. It can take any time from 6 or 7 months to almost a year to write a book, depending on what else I have going on.

What is your favourite Thermobexta recipe of all time?

This is too hard to answer, there are too many! I can narrow it down to three: The BBQ tofu with gingered rice and greens (Volume 1), the Corn fritters (Volume 6), and the Moroccan lentil and sweet potato bake (Volume 8). But really, there are so many close seconds!

If we could only buy one book, which one would you suggest?

Personally, I don’t have a favourite (that would be like choosing a favourite child – impossible) and when asked this question I always advise you to choose depending on what sort of recipes you’re after as the books all have themes.

Volumes 1, 5 and 8 are main meals; Volumes 2 and 7 are salads; Volume 3 is a good range of brekkies, soups, dinners and desserts; Volume 4 is lunches and snacks; and Volume 6 is side dishes. Honestly, though, most people buy one and come back for the rest, so the Full Collection is the best place to start and will save you some $$.

What is for dinner tonight?

We’ve just returned home from my two primary school-aged children’s Christmas concert so tonight was a picnic dinner. We had impossible quiche, vego sausage rolls, hummus with focaccia, and veggie sticks for dipping. Fruit and mint slice bickies for dessert!

Are you working on anything new (please say yes)?

Always. I’ve actually just finalised all of the recipes for my next book and the photoshoots are this coming week! The book will open for pre-sale in mid-January 2022.

What three ingredients should everyone have in their pantry?

Tomatoes, garlic, olive oil.

Where can we buy your books?

My online store can be found at www.thermobexta.com.au/shop and for over 150 free recipes, check out the ‘free recipes’ section of the site.

Where can we follow you online?

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thermobexta

Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/thermobexta

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/thermobextapage