BEHIND THE SCENES WITH best ‘I had a panic attack last week’

Is it true you write recipes in your sleep?

If an ingredient comes into my head, I write it down in a little notebook at the side of my bed. Sometimes I don’t remember doing it. And when I’m really stressed out, I sleepwalk – I have even baked an entire cake in my sleep! I came down the next morning and was like, ‘Who made this mess?’ I looked in the oven and there was the cake – luckily, I hadn’t turned the oven on!

You mention anxiety – do you still suffer?

I had a panic attack last week! It’s a mix of working really hard, not seeing my kids and living with the guilt of being a working mum. I’ve had medication, but that kind of numbs you and I’d rather feel something than feel nothing. It’s never going to go away and now it’s just part of who I am and I just control it. Writing cookbooks and recipes is my therapy.

What’s in the new cookery book and TV series, Nadiya’s Family Favourites?

The cookbook is full of recipes for family dinners and for food on the go. In the TV series, I’m cooking and going all over to meet people who are passionate about food, like marmalade makers and coffee roasters. That was a difficult filming week, because I hate coffee!

Are your children [Musa, 11, Dawud, 10, and Maryam, seven] fussy eaters?

Not at all. Recently, I cooked a fish-head curry and they begged me to make it again the next night! In between the head bones, you get the best bits of fish, which you

suck out. I grew up in a house where you weren’t allowed to be fussy, and I’ve made sure my kids are the same.

What’s the secret of your success?

My husband tells me off if I say it’s luck. He’s like, ‘You’re not lucky, you’re good at what you do.’ I love doing this so much, but I’m also very lucky because I can go home and lock the door and clean the toilets and cook for the kids. I’ve got the best of both worlds. Nadiya’s Family Favourites is out now (Michael Joseph, £20). The TV show begins on Monday on BBC Two.