Mary & Nadiya hit sweet spot
PHEW, did anyone else feel a little bit flushed watching The Black Full Monty on C4 onthursday? “Saucy”is an understatement. “Pornographic” would be more accurate.
Cameras follow the explicit and provocative world of The Chocolate Men, Britain’s only all-male black strip club, below. It’s a successful business where men who can dance and, er, measure up (more than eight inches if you want to know), can earn good money.
There were compelling questions of race, sex, stereotyping and money as the film met some of the strippers. Gino was paying for university, while Anthony had a baby on the way. He said: “Some people would look down their nose, but they’re not walking in my shoes.”
IN the absolute showstopper of all bake-offs this week, doyenne and legend Mary Berry and TV chef favourite Nadiya Hussain launched new shows on BBC Two on the very same night.
When Nadiya was being judged by Mary on The Great British Bake Off five years ago, she could never have imagined that one day she would follow her in the primetime TV schedules.
Thank God no one expected us to choose between them.
It was age before beauty as 85-year-old Mary brought us her Simple Comforts first, promising food that makes you feel that “everything is going to be all right”.
I’m not entirely sure that any amount of Victoria sponge can quite fix the current state of the nation, but when it comes to food, I’m always willing to try. Plus Mary has a sage, soothing voice and I’ll believe anything she tells me. In a welcome throwback, Mary was wandering the pre-covid streets of Paris.
You know, just bustling through crowds, talking to actual people in person, maskless without a care in the world.
Imagine that.
What a refreshing change to see a TV chef outside of their home kitchen.
Mary trained in the French capital and gleefully took us on a whistle-stop tour of cheese, bread, croissants, wine and a long boozy lunch.
As she checked the crunch of her croque monsieur, made street- side crepes and arranged apples on a tart, it was hypnotising.
And then, in a total TV gift, Mary went shopping for haute couture. Now this is the fashion spin-off we want...
In fact, maybe she and Nadiya could form a double act, since both score high on the foodie and fashion stakes. With her brightly coloured clothes, stylish head scarves and winning smile, 35-year-old Nadiya follows the “bake, eat and be happy” motto for Nadiya Bakes.
And, quite frankly, with dishes like strawberry clotted cream shortcake cupcakes on the menu, made with ice cream frosting and Oreo bases, it’s hard not to be happy.
Well at least until the sugar crash. Cream on top of cream on top of sugar and, oh my God, I think I just developed diabetes, but please can I have six?
Nadiya sucked icing sugar out of the air (I’m definitely trying this) then told us about her anxiety.
“If I’m anxious, I bake, if I feel a little bit sad, I bake,” she said. Her openness is wonderfully refreshing and her baking therapy is our gain.
Her bakes are more modern than Mary’s traditional fare (blueberry and lavender scone pizza anyone?) but both shows are a delicious treat worth indulging in.
I’m calling this bake-off a draw.