Open house
TV presenter and Loose Women star Nadia Sawalha on the joy of a new quiche dish
Home is… Food, family, fun and where we work seven days a week, filming for Youtube and Instagram. Our kids basically live in a TV studio. They come in, see some food and go: ‘That looks nice.’ And I’ll say: ‘Don’t touch it, I haven’t photographed it yet!’ It’s a 1930s build in Crystal Palace, south London.
My childhood home was… Next door! We moved there when I was 11, after my parents rented out our old house near Tulse Hill. They pushed themselves to the financial limit to buy a second home and when we moved in, the whole neighbourhood thought we were squatters. It was summer so we were always barefoot. And because we left our furniture behind for the tenants, we’d eat our dinner in the garden off a wooden door. When I was in Eastenders, my parents’ neighbours wanted to move, so I bought their house. Since my parents relocated to Jordan last year, my sister Dina moved back in.
Youtube show, and we’ll soon be recording our Agony Aunt And Uncle podcast.
My dinner party table top aesthetic is… Like an odd sock drawer. I like to mix and match glasses, have a bright tablecloth and an abundance of food served on sharing plates.
When I get home, the first thing I do is… Say, ‘Get off, get off, get off!’ when my two dogs jump all over me. Then I’ll have a cup of tea with whoever’s in.
My favourite room in the house is… My walk-in wardrobe, which is where I do Zoom calls and yoga and lie under my infra-red blanket.
My Zoom backdrop is… An overflowing washing basket. The new cinematic blurring-out function was made for me.
My favourite homeware store is… Anthropologie. I’m always happy with a new pot or dish for Christmas and birthdays. My new quiche dish (top) gives me such joy.
My walls are… Full of cracks, cobwebs and art. Mark was the art correspondent at Channel 4 so he has a real eye for it, and I’ve developed a love for art since meeting him two decades ago. We go to art college shows to discover new talent.
My biggest extravagance is… Our extension, which I paid for by doing
Celebrity Big Brother in 2015. We had a small sitting room and kitchen then extended back to open it up.
The one thing I need to replace is… I’ve got the most embarrassing sofa. It’s 20 years old and looks like a student’s. I could pay for a new one, but I can’t believe how
expensive they are.
I love to collect… Plates. Years ago, Mark’s family owned Adderley Pottery. The other week I was in a charity shop and found a gorgeous side plate of theirs.
Favourite housewarming gift… Stacey Solomon bought me the palest pink Le Creuset pan and it makes me so happy.
In my bathroom cabinet you’ll find… Hundreds of homeopathy remedies, which I keep in a speckled glass-door chest because you can’t let light onto them.
The home I’d like to nose around is… Kim Kardashian’s. She’s got five kids; where are all the odds and sods?
My favourite design object from my travels is… I’ve got beautiful tagines (above) from Morocco from when I was out there learning to cook.
You can find The Sawalha-adderleys Family, Food, Films & Fun on Youtube at youtube.com/@sawalhaadderleys
‘My Zoom backdrop is a washing basket’