Delicious UK – (01)January 2021

I

t’shardtobelievethathaving

writtenfivechildren’sbooks,

fourcookbooks,threenovels

anda memoir,Nadiya

Hussainhasonlyjustreleasedher

firstbookonbaking– thepassion

thatlaunchedhercareerfiveyears

agoaswinnerofthesixthseriesof

TheGreatBritishBakeOff. Featuring

hertrademarkimaginativerecipes

(matchaandkiwiswissroll,earl

greystickytoffeepud...),Nadiya

Bakescelebratesthespecialplace

thatbakingholdsinherheart.

Howdoesshefindtimetobea

habitualbaker?“Whenit becomes

secondnature,it becomeslike

doingthelaundryorhoovering,”

shesays.“Itcouldbejusta stackof

flapjacksorshortbread,butthere’s

alwayssomethinginthehousethat

I’vebaked,andI lovethatmykids

knowthat.Forthem,bakingis

aboutfeelinglikeyou’rehome.”

It’sa timelysentiment.Thenation’s

appetiteforbakinghasboomedin

theuneasymonthswe’vespentat

home,withemphasisonitsmental

healthbenefits– somethingNadiya,

whohastalkedaboutherexperience

ofpanicdisorder,is veryawareof.

“IoftenusedtobakebecauseI was

anxious,”shesays.“Now,I bakefor

work– butI alsobakeforcalm.”

Shehasa theoryaboutbaking’s

worry-evaporatingabilities.“It

focusesyourmind.Yougeta recipe,

a listofingredients,a method:

somebodytellingyouwhatyou

needandhowtodoit.I think

that’swhyit’stherapeutic.”

SELF-CONFESSEDHOMEBODY
Cookingandbakingnaturally
playeda partinkeepingherthree
children(Musa,14,Dawud, 13 and
10-year-oldMaryam)occupied
underlockdown.Therewerealso
boardgamesbeforebedandfamily
workoutsinthegarage‘gym’.
“We’dgetabsolutelyexhausted,
theneatloadsofcake!”saysNadiya.
Inwhat’sbeena stressfulyear,her
strategywhenit gottoomuchwas,
likemanypeople’s,togetsomefresh
air.Thatoftenmeantspendingtime
PORTRAIT: CHRIS TERRYwith the family’s menagerie: four

chickens,a rabbit,cat,tortoise

andbudgie.Shehasa unique

stressbusteruphersleeve,too.

“There’snothingmoresatisfying

thanwatchinga tortoiseeat

a strawberry,”shedeadpans.

Ifherhomelifesoundsserene,

it’snotbyaccident.Despiteherbona

fidenationaltreasurestatus(Nadiya

wasappointedanMBElastyearfor

servicestobroadcastingandthe

culinaryarts),shedoesn’tletit

affectherorherfamilytookeenly.

“Workinginthepubliceyecan

takeitstoll,”shesays.“Idon’twork

attheweekendsandwehaven’t

moved.Wepromisedourselvesthat

wewouldn’tliveina constantstate

ofupgrade.Wehavetojustliveour

lives,becomfortable,andmost

importantlybehappy.”

HERE’STOTHEFUTURE

Despitethebestintentions,Nadiya

admits her New Year’s resolutions

says.“Ioftenthink,‘Youhaveto

loseweightandlookbetter.’I don’t

wanttopickmyselfapartsomuch.”

Shealsoplanstosay‘No’more.“If

anybodyneedsme,I’mtherewith

bellson,always.I’velearntover

thelastsixmonthsthatthereare

situationswhereI don’thavetogive

myselfemotionallyorphysically.”

Nadiyaneverthelessfeelsa

responsibilitytobefrank– on

familylife,mentalhealthandthe

racismshe’sexperienced,including

inthefoodindustry.Shesayspeople

shouldn’tbesurprised:“Itexistsin

everyindustry,butoftenwechoose

nottoseeoracknowledgeit.”She

describesthefearofbeingostracised

at workforaddressingracismbuthas

hopenowthattheseconversations

arehappeningmoreopenly.

“FiveyearsonI feeltheimportance

oftalkingaboutrace,religionand

racism,andthefactI’ma womanof

colourworkinginanindustrythat

doesn’treallyhavespaceforsomeone

likeme.It’simportanttotalkabout

thesethings,havea voiceand

createspaceforeachother.”That’s

a NewYear’sresolutionweshould

allgetbehind– andjustanother

reasontoloveNadiya.

NadiyaBakesis outnow,published

by Michael Joseph, £

oftengoawry.“EveryyearI buythe

needlesandwooltocrochetbutcan

neverdoit.I chuckit allawayand

thenbuyit again.It’ssobad!”Three

yearsago,shedreamedofplaying

thepiano.“CanI playpiano?No,”

shelaughs.“Now,mychildrencan!”

For2021,shehasa differentgoal.

“I need to be kinder to myself,” she

For 2021 I need

tobekinderto

myself.I don’twant

to pickmyselfapart

so much

WHATARESMALLJOYSINYOURLIFE?

Havingmynailsdone,freshsheetsandpyjamas

• andyoumightthinkthisis sad,butI lovelightinga
  candleandmoppingthekitchenfloorwhenthekids
  have gone to bed. It signals it’s the end of the day.

WHOISYOURROLEMODEL?

Mygranny,becauseshe’samazing,90-something

andstillcooksherownfood.Shecan’treador

write,butshe’sgotthroughlifewiththisenergy

that I hope I have if I ever get to her age.

WHATMUSICISPLAYINGINYOURHOUSE?

MykidsloveEightiesmusicbecauseofmeandmy

husband.It’ssocutewhentheysing‘GirlsJust

WannaHaveFun’.Andwehavea Disneyplaylist–

my husband is the biggest Disney fan in history.

Na d i y a ’s

positıve corner

people.

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