Following her Great British Bake Off success, Nadiya Hussain has been a busy bee. While publishing multiple cookbooks and a memoir, releasing lines of cookware, and even baking the Queen’s birthday cake, Hussain has still found time to work with Netflix to create her new show, Time to Eat.
The victor of season 6 of the Great British Bake Off (GBBO), the talented cook has won the hearts of a global fanbase through her open, joyful personality and fantastic food. While working on her own cooking-oriented products, Hussain has also written and appeared on the BBC’s mental health advocacy shows.
In her most recent endeavor, Nadiya’s Time to Eat, she presents stress-free recipes for people in a time crunch.
Nadiya Hussain Becomes a Household Name
“I want to believe that I will do this forever,” Hussain writes. “But for every day that I do it I will treat it like it’s my last, with gumption, energy, and with love.” This attitude has made Hussain a magnetic media presence and a global favorite on the cooking scene.
After her victory on the Great British Bake Off, Hussain has not left the culinary spotlight. She has published nine books ranging from cookbooks to a memoir and children’s book. Hussain has also released her own line of cookware and become a vocal advocate for mental health awareness in recent years.
Born and raised in the UK, Hussain started baking at age 20 after marrying her husband Abdal. “He learnt I wanted to bake, so he bought me an oven and I learnt that he loved cake,” she recalls. “So I baked for him every single day!” Her husband submitted her application to compete on the Great British Bake Off, and her roaring success has made Hussain a household name not just in Britain, but across the pond as well.
New Memoir from “Great British Bake-Off” Winner Nadiya Hussain
Opening Up in Her Memoir, Finding My Voice
Released in October of 2019, Hussain’s memoir Finding My Voice deals not just with the success she’s experienced in recent years, but also traumas and fears.
“There were points where I had to put it down and say, ‘I can’t do this’,” Hussain recalls the writing process. “It induced anxiety.” However, she did finish. Hussain writes frankly about anxiety, PTSD, abuse, and racism she has experienced. She tells iNews that she often questioned why she was even writing a book this frank. Ultimately, she did it “for the little me who would have loved to have read this book when she was 10 or 11 and desperately looking in the library for a book, or a character, or anyone to connect to,” she realized.
The same year, Hussain wrote a children’s picture book called My Monster and Me. The decision stemmed from her own childhood.
“I was in bed and I just thought, ‘I’m going to write a book about anxiety for children, and I think it’s something that doesn’t really exist.’,” says Hussain. Unlike her recipe books, which involve her entire family taste-testing, Hussain undertook this highly personal project alone.
Nadiya Hussain Gives Fans Time to Eat
Hussain’s Netflix show Nadiya’s Time to Eat was released just this past April. The show focuses on time-saving, stress-free recipes including meals that can be whipped up with everyday pantry items. “In lockdown, cooking is all about joy and finding joy in eating a meal together even if it’s just from a can of baked beans,” Hussain tells Refinery 29. Speaking of lockdown, Hussain also recommends a simple banana tarte tatin as the perfect pick-me-up meal and an easy upgrade to banana bread. The recipes included in the show are also available through the BBC’s website, which has catalogued all of them here for easy reference.
Other than providing recipes that maximize ingredients and time, Hussain will show how many everyday items are produced and goes face-to-face with time-pressed amateur cooks to give them some tips and tricks.
Hussain has also opened up to the BBC about her anxiety struggles during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “I’m so used to constantly doing things, I’m scared I’m not productive enough or doing enough,” she said. However, Hussain also advocates for the value of being “kind to ourselves,” especially in a time that we all should look out for one another.
Stream Nadiya’s Time to Eat on Netflix.
