Causing a stir...

Queen of fizzing flavours Nadiya Hussain reveals her fruit-cake secret in time for ‘Stir-up Sunday’ and shares her take on banana loaf

NADIYA’S FAST FLAVOURS

THURSDAY / BBC2 / 8.30PM / EP 3 of 6 / COOKERY

This weekend traditionally sees the start of festive-fare preparations with ‘Stir-up Sunday’, a much-loved Victorian custom where families get together to make Christmas puddings and cakes on the last Sunday before Advent.

And, naturally, queen of novel flavour combinations Nadiya Hussain has added a twist to her endeavours!

‘I absolutely adore fruit cake, so in November I start making mine,’ says the 2015 winner of The Great British Bake Off, who’s currently making our taste buds sizzle with her BBC2 cookery series Nadiya’s Fast Flavours.

‘Being Muslim, I don’t celebrate Christmas in the traditional way, but it’s my sister’s birthday on Christmas Eve and she loves fruit cake, too, so I make her one as a present every year. With a signature twist, of course.’

Here, Nadiya, 36, tells us more…

The suspense is killing us, Nadiya! What’s your twist on fruit cake?

Earl Grey tea!

You’re kidding?!

Trust me, it’s a really good nonalcoholic alternative. I don’t drink, so every week I feed my fruit cake Earl Grey instead of booze, and add a little almond extract. It’s dense, it’s divine and I like to chop it up into small pieces and eat it with cheese.

My sister’s birthday is Christmas Eve and my birthday is Christmas Day, so, as you can imagine, there’s a lot of celebrating with cake on those days!

What are you making on Nadiya’s

Fast Flavours this week?

The episode is called Treat Yourself, so it’s all things sweet, including a crème brûlée with a salted-pretzel twist, a classic shortbread with basil, and I break the rules with a sweet coffee-and-walnut focaccia.

Sweet instead of savoury bread – what would your old friend and Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood make of that?!

[Laughs] Listen, if I cared, I wouldn’t do it! There’s something liberating about not caring, about saying, ‘Yes, I understand there’s a standard recipe for bread, but why not be brave and try a sweet version? Why not lace it with walnuts and coffee icing?’

There’s no purist in me! I’m all for taking the recipes I grew up with, which my mum taught me, and switching things to make them better. Not that my mum would agree – she’s as stubborn as I am!

But there’s a joy in twisting and changing things up.

Can you share one of your favourite recipes with readers?

TV Times

How about banana bread with a luxurious twist [see Nadiya’s recipe, right]? It became a lockdown cliché and you probably think that once you’ve made one, you’ve made them all, but it’s crying out to be decorated, adorned and different!

I discovered the banana plant is actually a herb, so I add fresh thyme leaves to it for a citrusy, aromatic kick, and drizzle it in salted caramel. Enjoy!

NADIYA’S FAST FLAVOURS