Nadiya Hussain, the acclaimed British-Bangladeshi chef and television personality, has spoken candidly about the challenges faced by Muslim women in the media industry, suggesting that longevity on screen is not afforded to everyone. The 41-year-old, who rose to fame after winning The Great British Bake Off in 2015, expressed a desire for a career trajectory akin to veteran chefs but believes her ethnicity presents a barrier.
"I would like to have seen myself where Mary Berry is at 90 years old, still cooking on television, I would have loved that for myself," Hussain said, "But that’s a dream that I can’t live up to because I’m not white."
Her comments come after the BBC opted not to recommission her cooking shows last year, a decision she described as "shocking." Having spent a decade creating programmes for the broadcaster, Hussain highlighted the scarcity of other Muslim female chefs on television, leading her to feel like a "token."
"Because we don’t have longevity. I can’t even find another Muslim woman to equate myself to, or stand shoulder-to-shoulder with," she explained. "It’s hard not to feel like a token, because it’s almost like we’re allowed a certain amount of space, until that space no longer exists for us – when the box has been ticked." She added, "There’s this kind of show of, ‘Look, we’re inclusive’, until we’re not."
The cancellation of her shows prompted a significant personal and professional re-evaluation for Hussain. She admitted that regularly publishing a cookbook followed by a TV series had become an "autopilot" routine. "I’d gone into autopilot where I was like, ‘I’ve got a book, of course I’m going to do a series’, and when that was taken away from me, I didn’t have a conversation with anyone, it was just taken away from me with no explanation."
This period of uncertainty, which she described as "scary," led her to shed her management and "start from scratch." Hussain reflected on a previous cookbook about Ramadan, where she "attached faith and food together" for the first time, noting that she had previously been a "digestible version of myself for the general public." She felt that after this, she had become "too much" for some.
"When the BBC cancelled the show, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, I see what’s happening’," she recalled. "I cannot become this manufactured caricature version of myself that everybody thinks is sellable as a brand. I need to be the version of myself that allows me to sleep at night, because right now I can’t sleep."
Hussain views this shift as a wake-up call, an opportunity to demonstrate integrity to her children. She contrasted her past compliance with her current stance, stating, "My daughter’s struggle will be different as a Muslim woman in this society... And what I’m trying to teach her is that being compliant and submissive is not the way you speak your truth, you speak your mind, and it may make you less rich, but you will sleep at night."
Eleven years on from her emotional Bake Off victory speech about self-belief, Hussain feels she has undergone significant growth. "I’ve changed so much, and this and every year, I feel like more myself than I ever have," she said, embracing her authentic self, even if it means admitting to deep-frying three times a week.
Her latest offering, Nadiya’s Quick Comforts, her 11th cookbook, embodies this new era. It celebrates the fast-to-make, slow-to-enjoy food she prepares at home, particularly for her children who are soon to leave home. The book features dishes like deep-fried cheese strings, corn pakoras, shawarma fries, and a one-pan chicken roast dinner, alongside innovative takes such as savoury crumpets with onions, chilli, and egg.
Hussain encourages readers to step out of their culinary comfort zones, noting, "We are so bound by rules and habit, but if you step out of your comfort zone, you actually do really wonderful things with simple ingredients." The book also includes desserts like brown butter pecan coffee cake and croissant berry pudding slices.
Now in her 40s, Hussain feels a newfound comfort in her own skin. "I thought 30s was the decade. It’s not, it’s 40," she mused. "I used to think 40 was really old, when I think back, but actually, I feel more alive now than I ever felt." She expressed excitement for what the future holds.
A BBC spokesperson commented on the decision: "After many wonderful series we made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain for the time being. We remain open to working with her in the future."
Nadiya’s Quick Comforts by Nadiya Hussain is published in hardback by Penguin Michael Joseph, priced £28. Photography by Chris Terry. It is available now.
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