Welcome to the Kati Keksi monthly newsletter, bringing together the latest content from the Kati Keksi website as well as highlights from social media including Facebook and Instagram.

Hey there,

This is one of those rare times where I'm due to send out my newsletter and I still haven't written anything!

In previous issues I've been fired up about a topic or I've had a few similar queries and that gives me an idea of what some of you might be wondering.

Over at Koti Keksi we've got our tree up and decorated (not a typo - a pun in Finnish, Koti means house) .

It's the first tree in our Australian home. 🥰 Last year we didn't get one (toddler with no boundaries) and the year before we were in Finland.

We bought a tree from Myer, decorations from Kmart (green baubles!) and some of my favourite tinsel from Woolies.

All topped with a star that travelled with us from our old home the UK. I'm usually pretty good at knowing where things are from, but my husband and I have no idea when or where we got it. 😂

It's nice to look at this tree now and know that it will be the tree we see each year as we spend time together and celebrate.

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Christmas cooking and making menus

I mentioned in my last newsletter that I'm not really into Christmas. So I've been decorating little biscuits as a way to get into the mood, so far I've made yule logs, reindeers and puddings. Though my favourite may be coating with crushed candy canes.

This weekend I baked some gingerbread. I didn't use a recipe, just the FFFC kit from Happy Tummies (my GF affiliate). It filled the house with lovely warming spices.

I was hoping to decorate them as well but it seems my icing has gone bad, so I'll buy a new one tomorrow. 😅 Expect stories on Instagram with my dud designs.

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Now that we have our own family we have two Christmas meals. One is on Christmas Eve, the day Finns celebrate and the other on Christmas Day with my Australian family.

Finnish Christmas has its own unique dishes, with ham / pork usually as the centrepiece. My husband doesn't cook much so it's usually me trying to figure out how to honour his Finnish culture while managing my own stress.

Christmas Day for us is a bit of a mash up. There is a traditional Christmas roast however many of the guests are vegetarian / vegan. So there's a different spin on a few dishes and not a prawn in sight.

I haven't designed a menu for Christmas Eve yet, I am hoping to make a Finnish bread (saaristoleipä) a kind of dense, rich bread. I just looked up the non-GF recipe and it's rye and malt. 😂 The GF version has buckwheat or teff and GF stout. It'll be a challenge, I think.

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Summer break

I'll be taking a break / scaling back around Christmas. Supermarket specials aren't as good in the lead up and shopping centre carparks are already getting ridiculously busy.

I'll still be around though, so be sure to check in on my Facebook page and Instagram to see what I'm up to or drop me a question.

I'm hoping to get out one very important, non-Christmas article this month so fingers crossed that will happen.

The next newsletter will be a big ol' recap of 2025 and how that looked for me. Spoiler, it's beyond anything I could have imagined!

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Kati x

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Oh by the way shop small at Christmas. Buy a festive treat from a local gluten free business, shout about it on your socials or favourite FB group.

I haven't looked at many Christmas menus but I've seen loads up in Sydney (I've ordered biscuits from Quokka Pastry) and I'm considering a small order with Kudo in Melbourne.

Gluten free businesses work their butts off to look after us throughout the year. So if you're able, spend some of your hard earned cash with them at Christmas. 🎄

Latest posts on katikeksi.com​

Not up to date with the website? Here's what I've been talking about this month.

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Gluten free, Soy free chocolate

I know a lot of folks are soy free as well as gluten free. However! Even if you're not soy free, go take a look. There are some excellent brands from outside the supermarket, including my new favourite. 😉

Gluten free panettone

Just to help those searching via Google, I've made a guide that's all about gluten free panettone. Like with a lot of gluten free products, you can't search if you don't know the brand.

Gluten free Mars bar puddings (Curly Wurly puddings)

Only four ingredients and a few decorations are between you and a tasty (and cute!) little Christmas treat. Based off of my super popular GF Mars bar slice recipe.

Schar cinnamon soft cookies

A seasonally appropriate review of Schar's individually packed festive cookies.

Most popular content on Facebook

What's been big on Facebook this month?

• I managed to pick up the worst looking packet of marshmallow gingerbread men and everyone let me know it.
• A little reminder that all the GF alternatives to Pringles are also cheaper than Pringles.
• I turned Tim Tams into Yule logs, they are cute and tasty!
• Coles celebration cake is gluten free - I think most of us know it, but it always goes wild on FB. Check the comments for amazing decorations people have done.
• While we're at it, yes KitKat Santa is gluten free too.
• Is Santa really the Easter bunny in disguise? I made a tongue in cheek post but apparently this was a real thing in the past!
• There are a lot of gluten free products in the Myer Christmas department, including hard to find Walkers biscuits.

Instagram @kati_keksi

Do you follow me on Instagram? I tend to post different content there compared to Facebook so it's worth checking out both.

Here's what I've been sharing this month.

• ​Mini Christmas puddings made with GF Mars bar slice. Just a post to go with the recipe shared above.
• For those in Melbourne, I visited Ardor for a trattoria-style dining experience.
• And of course, this month's new products reel. Note, I no longer do an accompanying website post. It was taking too work for how few visits it got.

New product alerts

Here's just a few of the new gluten free products I've seen in the last month.

• Not technically new but I love a product change, Coles chicken tikka ready meal no longer has a may contain for wheat/gluten!
• M&S has a tonne of products now available at Coles. Most importantly the lollies are gluten free.
• I've come across just the one stuffed turkey product that's GF and it's available from Woolworths.
• Magnum dairy free has had a recipe change and is now soy based. Still coeliac-safe, but not suitable for soy allergy / intolerance.
• More seasoned sides, corn ribs from Bird's Eye. I actually ate some the other day and they are quite tasty.
• New for the season, Bailey's pavlovas are back at Woolies for a limited time.
• ​San Remo stuffed gnocchi!! I haven't seen this in person (I've been looking at IGA stores) but I loved it when I lived in the UK.
• ​Haagen Dasz rum and raisin, no words - it's delicious.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook where I post everything I find, and if you prefer, follow me on Instagram for a monthly reel summary.

Product warning / alerts

I added this section last month and unfortunately I need to use it again.

• There's a fake account on Facebook posing as me with my photo. It's sending friend requests then inviting people to a finance Whatsapp group. Please report it if it contacts you. You can see the page on this post.
• Warburton's wheat-based crumpets rolled out nationwide at Coles early in November. Unfortunately in many stores they were incorrectly placed with gluten free products. Please familiarise yourself with the difference between the packaging.

Article from the archive

Did you know I started my website back in January 2022? There are so many articles, including reviews that you can read. Here's one I picked for you.

Christmas leftovers risotto

I don't mind eating a Christmas roast two days in a row, but if you're left with kilos of roasting meat or too many sprouts, this is for you.

Failing that, make some epic toasties!

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Thanks for reading! If you want to support my work you can Buy Me a Coffee ☕.