Bake Off’s Nadiya changing perceptions through pastry

SHE may be the red hot favourite to win tonight’s Great British Bake Off final, but Yorkshire mum-of-three Nadiya Jamir Hussain has admitted she was worried that the show’s millions of fans might not warm to her.

“Originally, I was a bit nervous that perhaps people would look at me, a Muslim in a headscarf, and wonder if I could bake,” she said.

“But I hope that, week by week, people have realised that I can bake – and just because I’m not a stereotypical British person, it doesn’t mean that I am not into bunting, cake and tea. I’m just as British as anyone else, and I hope I have proved that.”

The recent representation of Muslims in the media has not, it is fair to say, been entirely positive. The rise of the so-called Islamic State has been in danger of cementing negative stereotypes – making Nadiya’s success a welcome breath of fresh air.

Rather than just winning a television cookery show, the 30-year-old surprisingly finds herself presenting a more positive image of her faith.

Adeeba Malik CBE, of the Bradford-based QED Foundation, which specialises in ethnic minority-focused education, employment and training, says it might just prove to be a watershed moment.

“Number one, she is a fantastic baker – some of her creations have been spectacular. But what’s also been fascinating is that here is a woman from a Muslim background who is doing something quintessentially British while wearing a headscarf.

“It’s a lovely story and I’ve been so impressed by her and what she is doing. She is changing perceptions. What I hope though is that in my lifetime we don’t talk about someone’s faith but their talent.”

There can be little doubt that the public have taken Nadiya to their hearts. She has nearly 28,000 Twitter followers and looks all but certain to triumph in tonight’s Bake Off final.

She admitted to a lack of confidence before she went on the show, with her husband Abdal, a technical manager, and her sister-in-law persuading her to apply.

“My family are constantly telling me that they are very proud of me, and that really helps me through,” she told the Radio Times.
“My dad has loved the series and he goes up and down the street each Wednesday making sure everyone is going to watch it.”

Nadiya’s wide-ranging facial expressions – from her frowns of concentration and tears to her beaming smile – have also made her one of the viewers’ favourites.

“It’s quite surreal to be in that tent with producers rushing around and the cameras in your face,” said Edd Kimber, who knows only too well the unique pressures of the show and what it does to people.

Working as a debt collector for Yorkshire Bank in Leeds when he won the first series of Bake Off five years ago, he discovered that winning the title changed his life with cookbooks, slots on ITV’s Alan Titchmarsh Show and demand for his recipes from leading cookery magazines.

“I always say that whatever I could have wanted to change about my life back then, Bake Off changed it in the most amazing way,” he said.

A win tonight would undoubtedly do the same for Nadiya – but that isn’t the only thing that her success on the show is likely to achieve.

Those earlier misgivings she had about being judged on her hijab rather than her culinary skills have long since melted away.

“I think the show is a fantastic representation of British society today,” she said. “The feedback I’ve had reveals how accepting people are of different cultures and religions.”

Tonight is likely to see her accepting The Great British Bake Off trophy – and the life-changing opportunities that come with it.