‘The new Bake Off? I’m all for change!’
Bake Off champ Nadiya Hussain, 32, takes a culinary tour of the UK in her fab new BBC cooking series...
So, tell us about your new show… I get the question “Are you British?” quite a lot. Of course I am! The food I eat is also British, but British doesn’t just mean a Sunday roast – it’s colourful and diverse. I wanted to explore that and put my own spin on British cuisine, so I travel across the UK and figure out what British food means to me – then I devise some new recipes based on the ingredients. like what?
Well, I make a haggis tarte tatin, with onions instead of apples. I also got mackerel from the coast of Wales, so I breaded and fried it and put it in pitta with tzatziki – which is kind of British-greek, and I’ve made up a Spiced Bean and Banger Stew. It’s all about mixing cuisines. Has making the series made you more adventurous, food-wise? Absolutely. I’ve also become interested in foraging for food, and I’ve got my 10-year-old son [Musa] into it too. This autumn you’ll be co-hosting The Big Family Cooking Showdown on BBC1, will it be a Bake Off replacement? It’s a completely different show. The Showdown is about families cooking together, so contestants are not alone – and it’s filmed in a barn, not a tent! Co-presenting with Zoe Ball has been amazing, too. Presenting is a new thing for me, and to work alongside somebody who’s so good at it, I feel like I’m being mentored. Have you been in touch with Zoe since her bereavement? [Zoe’s boyfriend, cameraman Billy Yates, committed suicide in May]. We’ve become such good friends – I’m in love with Zoe. She’s had a really tough time, but I’ve seen her since and we’ve spoken. She’s got a beautiful soul. Will you watch Bake Off when it makes its move to Channel 4? Of course! I couldn’t quite understand all the fuss. I’m all for change, and maybe it was time for the Bake Off to change. I think it’s exciting. speaking of change, how much has your life transformed since winning Bake Off? It’s changed massively, so dramatically that I can’t remember what life was like before. You know, we were all happy before, but we just seem to fit into this new life very well. I love what I’m doing. It’s all fitted into place. We hear you’re planning a second wedding to Abdal… I need an excuse for a party. I haven’t actually planned any of it yet but it will happen, or maybe we’ll just take the children and elope.