Webchat with GBBO winner Nadiya Hussain - Wednesday 15 June, 1-2pm

[RachelMumsnet]

We’re thrilled to announce that Nadiya Hussain is joining us for a webchat on Wednesday (15 June) between 1 and 2pm when she’ll be taking your questions and telling us about her first book, Nadiya's Kitchen.

Over 15 million people tuned in to see Nadiya win 2015’s Great British Bake Off. Since then, she has captured the heart of the nation and is now a columnist for The Times and Essentials and a regular reporter for The One Show. Nadiya was commissioned to bake the Queen’s 90th birthday cake, which she presented to the Queen in person on the 21st April. In her first cookbook, Nadiya’s Kitchen, her focus is to deliver tasty meals quickly and she shares over 100 delicious recipes for all the family, from her famous bakes to simple suppers and snacks.

We have a SIGNED copy of Nadiya’s Kitchen up for grabs and everyone who joins the webchat will be entered into a draw. We’ll announce the winner at the end of the webchat. Do come and chat to Nadiya on Wednesday between 1 and 2pm or if you can’t join in then, post up your questions in advance on this discussion thread.

@Quills

Thanks MNHQ for organising this! We're huge fans of Nadiya, I was so thrilled that she won.

Nadiya, congratulations on GBBO and everything that's happened since :) I would like to ask for your top tips on getting children involved in the kitchen. I have two girls aged 7 and 2, but whenever we try to bake together it ends up with flour everywhere and an argument over who gets to lick out the bowl!

I think all kids want to be in the kitchen. But we as grown-ups are quite apprehensive because of all the mess that it will create. My tip would be to delegate jobs and give them two separate things to do in two separate parts of the kitchen. With time as they get used to being in the kitchen and more confident, it will get easier. Mine still fight over who gets to lick the bowl.

Will you be cooking a cake for your second marriage? Will it be a big do?

@wiziliz

hello Nadiya! we are sooo proud of you. are you a foodie?

Absolutely, I am a foodie through and through. If I am visiting anywhere, the first thing I do is look at what the local restaurants are like and if we book a holiday anywhere, I always research what kind of food is available. Pretty much everything I do is centred around food.

@notamummy10

Hi Nadiya,

I was so thrilled when you won Bake-Off (I was one of the people who shed a tear or two), you deserved to win!

Out of the series, which was your favourite week and why?

By far, week 4. We had the pleasure of tasting 27 cheesecakes at the end of the show! I could have kept going on and on and on and on...

@Hygellig

Congratulations on winning GBBO - you were amazing. Do you find that you get recognized in the street? And do you have to bake lots of cakes for your children's school?

Yeah, I get recognised where ever I go. I was at Superdrug this morning and someone shouted Bake Off! My kids have recently moved to a new school and I think the school staff know that I am so busy and so they haven't asked yet! But I feel like it is coming

@beginnersewer

I loved your cake with the fizzy drink can suspended in mid air - I thought it was really original and a lot of fun. Where did you get the idea?

The idea came from my husband's love of fizzy drinks. And so I set out to make his favourite flavours and reduced 6 liters of fizzy pop down to three tiny bottles of syrup.

Hi Nadia!

Which fairly simple pastry bakes would you recommend for a beginner to try?

@ailsasheldon

Hello, what fun suggestions do you have to introduce children to spicey food please

There's a curry that my mum introduced us all to as babies. That's her Bangladeshi korma, it's full of whole spices so you get aroma but not that chili heat. Then she slowly started to introduce us to foods with more ground spices. There's a great example of the two in Nadiya's Kitchen - the Bengali korma and cod and clementine.

Has anyone asked the most important question of all time, the biscuit question?

But here's my real question, I struggle with my confidence all the time and you were a bit of an inspiration, but do you still have self doubt even though you've won the bake off and how do you deal with that?

What's your favourite biscuit?

Hi Nadiya! I'm sure you've heard this one a million times...but what's your favourite cake?

@woeface

! Nadia, you really seem to touch people's hearts. Apart from your obvious loveliness, what do you think people see in you that they instinctively respond to? and if I can have another question: I'm obsessed with flatbreads at the moment and am trying lots of different recipes. Do you have a favourite? I'm after something I can make in half an hour or so, ideally.

I can't always put my finger on why people respond to me but I'd like to think that I am always myself, whether there's a camera on me or not.

One of my favourite flatbreads to make are pooris. There is a recipe in my book for dry tomato tiger prawns with pooris. Now that my kids have got hold of my book, they keep asking for these!

hello Nadiya . who is your inspiration?

Salam Nadiya,
Personal question but how do you manage home life with all that you do? I have very clingy kids so wondering how the kids are doing with your busy schedule, do they feel left out or pushed to the side?

@WhatKateBaked

Hello!

Your new book looks great, we've already made a few recipes that have been in The Times, a huge success with all the family!

My little girl is allergic to egg and dairy, any advice on alternatives you've found work well in cakes/sweet treats?

Thank you and all the very very best with the book!

So one of the ways I try and get my kids to have a little bit more fruit that's a little bit more fun is by giving them home-made fruit leather strips. There's an example of this in my book - mango fruit leather strips. Give it a go! See if she likes them

Because you're absolutely amazing there will probably be a film made about you, who would you like to play you?

Also a question for your lovely husband, who would you like yo play you in the film of Nadiya's bake off win?

@IFellInLoveAtTheSeaside

What's your favourite biscuit?

If I'm buying biscuits, then it has to be jaffa cakes.

But if I'm making them, then matcha and milk chocolate biscuits, that I have a recipe for in the book.

Hi Nadia!

Do you have a lovely recipe for an egg free cake please? My daughter will be very grateful!

Also, may I ask why you have changed your headscarf style?

@AliensInUnderpants12

Congratulations on winning! My husband and I were really pleased as we were rooting for you!

I'm not a confident baker, cooking meals is fine but I've never been taught to bake. Have you got any idiot proof beginners recipes I could try as I recently made some shortbread biscuits and basic fairy cakes and my son had lots of fun!

When I was starting out baking, one the things I baked a lot of was brownies. It's one mix, in one tin and it gets cut up. It's fairly quick and easy. Try my raspberry jam puddle brownies from the cook book and hopefully that will be a good place to start!

@wiziliz

hello Nadiya . who is your inspiration?

It has to be my mum, she has been a housewife for over 30 years, raised 6 kids, 11 grandchildren and recently got a full-time job for the first time! She very rarely shows signs of letting up, she's an absolute legend.

Hi Nadiya

Loved you on Bake Off

Do you have any recommended healthy snacks I can make and bring into work that will fill me up?

@durezz

Salam Nadiya, Personal question but how do you manage home life with all that you do? I have very clingy kids so wondering how the kids are doing with your busy schedule, do they feel left out or pushed to the side?

My kids have grown up in an enormous extended family and have never been very clingy. They are quite confident and independent. So when I began my journey and started to spend a lot more time away from home, my husband took over the reins when I wasn't there. It's a balancing act and it's not easy, but we make an amazing team and the kids are still very happy.

Hi

What is your top savory bake for kids?

Thanks

@B9494

Hi Nadia!

Which fairly simple pastry bakes would you recommend for a beginner to try?

Even though I've been on the Bake Off, if I'm short for time, I will still buy puff pastry in blocks. I think they are really good quality and very easy to use. Especially if you're busy! An easy recipe I would recommend is the Za'atar and lemon palmiers recipe from the cook book. They are simple, easy and take less than 15 minutes to make. And make you look like a dab hand in the kitchen!

@NameyMcNameface

Has anyone asked the most important question of all time, the biscuit question?

But here's my real question, I struggle with my confidence all the time and you were a bit of an inspiration, but do you still have self doubt even though you've won the bake off and how do you deal with that?

I think I deal with self-doubt more now than I've ever done in my life. I spend every day being put into situations that are unfamiliar. The difference now is that I welcome them. Being faced with the challenge of not knowing means that I can test my confidence all the time.