INTERVIEW: Nadiya Hussain very day is an thought, let’s make My dad won’t adventure for orange drizzle just to do The Great British something that is slightly Bake Off winner different.’ throw anything Nadiya Hussain. There was some Like a slice of one of her sniping in the press and away: when Edeliciously different cakes, on social media that her everyone wants a piece of cake was wonky and I was a child, her right now. The stay- Nadiya went on television at-home mum turned star to defend herself. She baker is publishing her first says: ‘What I’ve learnt is he mowed the cookbook and was recently that I’ve got super-thick given the honour of baking skin. Everything will lawn and fried the Queen’s 90th birthday be up for debate and cake. That’s as well as scrutiny and that’s okay the clippings penning a children’s book because that’s the kind and making a documentary of world I’m in. with garlic about Bangladesh, where ‘Do I listen to it all? her parents were born. Absolutely not. Do I care? She says: ‘It’s exciting Absolutely not. I go about and onion being me because every my day and I won’t let day I don’t know what I’m anything stop me from going to be asked to do.’ We enjoying what I’m doing meet to discuss Nadiya’s right now.’ Kitchen, a collection The Daily Telegraph of recipes she says are questioned whether ‘classics with a twist’. the last series of Bake Anyone for mango and Off was ‘political parsley pavlova? ‘That’s correctness one of the recipes that is gone mad’ as the definitely out there,’ Nadiya tells me, ‘but Above: Nadiya line-up included trickles chocolate to me, out there is normal. I have tried and over cherry-topped a gay man, what tested the recipes on my children and if delicacies it described as a they don’t like them they tell me “Don’t put Right: Her Majesty's a new man and a that in the book mummy”.’ Cake, an orange ‘hijabi woman’. Nadiya inherited her inventive streak drizzle recipe, is Nadiya says: a simpler version from her restaurateur father. She won the of the three-tier ‘I went into the sixth series of Bake Off last year and one cake Nadiya made show just as me, of her showstoppers was a trio of fizzy pop for the Queen's wearing the hijab, cheesecakes, with the pop pouring from 90th birthday being Muslim, being a canned drink hovering over her madcap Bangladeshi. That’s creation. She says: ‘My mum does not throw matters to me and I want it to be relevant all incidental, that doesn’t matter. To the rule book out, whereas my dad’s very to my kids, but teaching them how to cook come away and for people to say she’s a creative; he’s one of those waste-not, want- and how to be thrifty and how not role model, that’s quite a compliment.’ not types who won’t throw anything away.’ to waste is also essential.’ She and husband Abdal have moved When she was a child her dad mowed Authenticity is important too. She used from Leeds to Milton Keynes with their the lawn and fried the grass clippings with to get angry with her dad for serving his sons, aged nine and eight, and five-year- some garlic and onion. ‘It was completely customers curries adapted to the Western old daughter, to be closer to family (she inedible!’ says Nadiya. ‘But he wanted to palate. Nadiya says: ‘He was inventive but grew up in Luton) and to London. make use of a waste product that cows eat, not in his restaurant. What Bangladesh Nadiya says: ‘I was lucky because so why not humans?’ has in abundance is fish and fruit and it’s a I found Prince Charming first, had the Her mum refused to try it. Nadiya says: winning combination. Raw mango, papaya babies and now I’m living the dream, so ‘She thought we were all crazy. I think I and banana flowers go so well with fish.’ it’s a bit back to front and not something definitely inherited that mentality from She recently explored the country for a I’d ever imagined I’d do. She is making the him, but I feel like I ventured out.’ For two-part BBC documentary, The Chronicles most of the opportunities that have come her, this meant learning to bake at school, of Nadiya. It had been 10 years since she her way: ‘I live every day as if my dream encouraged by her home economics teacher last visited: ‘I’m rediscovering the cuisine, has a sell-by date because everything has, as ‘we never had a concept of dessert in the people and their lives.’ and if I continue to believe that then it Bangladeshi cuisine’. Nadiya would make Being asked to make the Queen’s means that I enjoy each day; if I take it for carrot cake for her dad to serve in his birthday cake was another adventure. granted I’ll stop enjoying it.’ restaurant instead of ‘factory-made ice At first she thought someone was pulling What’s next? ‘I feel like I’m being Living the dream cream,’ she says with distaste. her leg, then she was so nervous that she greedy by saying I want to do more. I Nadiya is as passionate as Jamie Oliver considered saying no ‘until sense prevailed’. mean a Colgate ad would be nice, maybe, Nadiya Hussain won our hearts with her madcap creations about practical cookery education. At Her thought process seems to have maybe?’ I think she’s joking. What about school she only had cookery lessons once a gone along the lines of, if it’s good enough becoming a Bake Offjudge? ‘Watch this on The Great British Bake Off – now the sky’s the limit term. She says: ‘I think cooking, if anything, to reach Mary Berry’s high standards… space. You never know.’ Interview by LUCY COLLINS Photography HOLLY PICKERING is more important than doing a maths Nadiya explains: ‘I made a lemon drizzle • Turn to page 50 to see Nadiya’s GCSE. It’s a life skill. Education really for Mary in the Bake Off final and I recipes in our Cookery feature. 24 WI LIFE JULY & AUGUST 2016 WI LIFE JULY & AUGUST 2016 25.