Exclusive
Nadiya Hussain recalls ‘amazing’ moment she met the Queen and Prince Philip
26 September 2022, 09:17
Nadiya Hussain recalls the moment she met the Queen and Prince Philip
We spoke to Bake Off star and cooking superstar Nadiya Hussain about meeting the Queen.
Nadiya Hussain has recalled the moment she met the late Queen six years ago, after baking Her Majesty’s 90th birthday cake.
The Bake Off winner joined us to talk about her latest recipe collection and accompanying BBC series, Nadiya's Everyday Baking.
But talk quickly turned to the Queen following her sad death earlier this month at the age of 96.
Talking about their meeting in 2016, Nadiya said: “She doesn't say very much so we didn't have a conversation.
- Bake Off favourite Carole breaks down in tears after bake collapses
- Who won the Great British Bake Off 2021?
“She did come over and shake my hand, and I did see Prince Philip, he was lovely and he was the one that asked me what flavour is the cake.
“I told him it was orange drizzle and that was it.”
Nadiya, 37, has since been awarded an MBE from the Queen for her services to broadcasting and to the culinary arts.
The star said she was ‘surprised’ at how emotional the monarch’s funeral made her last week, saying: “As much as we’ve always just known the Queen, they’re life is a bit like Disney and we’re so removed from that, I didn’t think I’d feel that sad, but I felt really, really sad.
Nadiya Hussain opens up about the inspiration behind her new cookbook
“My grandad died 35 years ago and he loved the Queen, when she died it was really sad because he really loved the queen, it made me think about him a little bit.
“It was a strange time. I think for hundreds of thousands of people it probably reminded them of grief, I think it made everyone think about lots of different things.”
The 37-year-old added: “My grandad would be really proud as an immigrant to have his granddaughter meet the queen and receive an MBE and bake a cake for her, it would have been a big deal for him.”
Following her Bake Off win in 2015, Nadiya has had nine TV cookery series, seven recipe books, three children's books, a novel and a memoir.
She also shares sons Musa, 16, and Dawud, 15, and daughter Maryam, 12, with husband Abdal and said a lot of her cooking is based on her kids.
“When I write a cookbook, I’m writing for my children, it's the things I would use," she said.
“We have a lot of days we spend walking outdoors so we’ve got to make and pack things that will work outside.”
Opening up about how her cooking has changed over the years, Nadiya added: “I think through time I've found how I like to express my cooking, and for me it's about simple, easy cooking that's delicious.
“I’m a working mum and after all this I'm going to go home, I've got to cook dinner and so I've got to think ahead.
“It’s about being thrifty, using something you've already got in the house but also making something delicious and so its always all about simple, easy cooking.”
You can get your hands on Nadiya’s Everyday Baking now for just £25.
