‘People love me for my music, now I’m getting love for the person I am’
Rapper turned TV chef Big Zuu talks to Georgia Humphreys about his lastest Christmas special
Big Zuu is a man of many talents; a grime MC, a great cook and now a successful TV presenter too.
The 25-year-old – real name Zuhair Hussain – first taught himself to cook as a teenager. He went on to produce funny cooking videos that he’d post on social media, as well as doing cooking segments for radio shows and blogs in the grime world.
Soon he became known for his food as well as his music, and earlier this year, his own cooking show, called Big Zuu’s Big Eats launched on Dave.
What can you tell us about your Christmas Special?
In the comedy special, you see the return of Phil Wang, Rosie Jones, Desiree Burch and Ed Gamble; all people that I’ve cooked with before.
What’s your favourite food you cooked for the festive feasts?
I love making sides for Christmas. We did the big turkey, and one of the sides was peri-peri croquettes. Normally I buy my croquettes from Marks & Spencers and put them in the oven but this year, I am one million per cent making them. There is nothing better than deep-fried mashed potato.
Where does the inspiration for you cooking come from?
I watch a guy called Mark Wiens on Youtube; he travels the world and he goes to little authentic restaurants. I watch food programmes all day.
Obviously, when we cook for people in the programme, it’s normally inspired from what they love growing up, what food they love, but we add on whacky twists…
All the things we wish we could do in our kitchen and all the things we wish we could do at a dinner party, that’s what we do at Big Eats, because it’s TV, and we can make it work.
Series One of Big Zuu’s Big Eats aired earlier this year. How have you found the response?
It’s sick! People are still talking to me about the programme, people are still watching it; now the repeats are on Dave at pre-watershed so we are getting a whole new fanbase of people watching it. And it’s weird – I never thought I’d have a programme that people absolutely love bingewatching.
I’ve always been a musician and people love me for my music so I’m used to getting love for the stuff that I make, but now I’m kinda getting love for the person I am.
What’s it like getting recognised by fans of the show?
People tell me to cook for them, all the time; I get asked to cook for people every day!
It’s a bit weird because it’s all types of people that are showing us love. Me, [copresenters] Tubsey and Hyder, we’ve had people that we never ever thought would like us stop us in the middle of the street.
One time I went into a shop and there was this old black lady, she looked like she was in her 60s, 70s, and she was like, ‘I just watched you on the telly! I really love your show’.
● Big Zuu’s Christmas Eats Comedy Special is on Dave on Friday, December 18