Weekend with Nadiya Hussain: ‘I’m at a stage in my life where my kids now put me to bed’
The chef and author on being an early riser, her Sunday skincare routine and her new life motto
Nadiya Hussain is a chef, television presenter and author. She rose to fame after winning the sixth series of the BBC’s The Great British Bake Off in 2015 and has gone on to present many TV programmes, from food to travel. She is also the author of numerous cookery and children’s books. Her latest, Nadiya’s Quick Comforts, is out now.
Hussain lives in Milton Keynes with her husband and three children.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How do you start your weekend?
Always with a long walk. I wake up, pray and then put on anything that will keep me warm and go out for a five mile walk.
Are you an early riser or a late sleeper?
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I am an early riser through and through. I always have been, which made having small children really easy because I was happy to be up. I am in bed really early as well. I’m at that stage in my life where my kids now put me to sleep, because they stay up later than I do.
Do you go out for breakfast or stay in?
It depends what mood I’m in. If it’s a weekend when my daughter isn’t having a sleepover at a friends’, then it will be pancakes at home. But if it is a day where she’s not here — she’s the one that hangs out with me the most because the boys are always in bed — then it’s out for breakfast.
Any recommendations?
We’ve got this beautiful French-Moroccan restaurant called Nour Maison that does the most amazing Turkish breakfast. It’s so, so good.
Do you like to go out for dinner?
I do that thing where I cook loads of food, put it in the fridge ready for the week, and then go out for dinner.
Can you describe your perfect Sunday?
This sounds really dull, but it’s tidying and resetting my bedroom. And doing the laundry. Before anyone says anything, I love doing the laundry.
What do you do to relax?
Sunday is skincare day for me. I’m really mindful about my skincare. It takes hours, but I do it really slowly throughout the day. I take my time, I drink water while I’m doing it. I’ll just reset for a couple of hours.
What is your top skincare tip?
Using nappy cream. Good enough for a baby’s bum, good enough for my face. Bepanthen is amazing for skin overnight. Use it as a mask, lather it on thick. It’s really sticky, but you wake up in the morning looking like a dolphin, honestly.
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When you won Bake Off in 2015 your acceptance speech went viral. You said: “I’m never gonna say, ‘I don’t think I can.’ I can and I will.” Is that still your motto, or do you have a new one?
“I can and I will” is definitely very much part of my day-to-day affirmations. I’m a human being, so I have down days and there’s times when I have to say that to myself. But another one I say to my kids is “elbows out” — make space for you.
I started to say this more and more working in this industry because I found myself in spaces where I didn’t always feel welcome or didn’t feel seen, or just felt like the odd one out. In those moments I had to tell myself, “elbows out”. I had to remind myself that I need to make space for me in order to make space for others.
Nadiya’s Quick Comforts is out now. You can read a selection of her recipes here.
