NADIYA Queen of cooks

We’re on location in north London and Nadiya Hussain is overflowing with cooking tips. Clocking an enormous-leaved perennial in the kitchen, she observes, ‘That’s a taro plant. It’s the most eaten veg in Bangladesh and also a natural laxative!’ She explains that, when boiled, the root and stalk are edible. Conversation darts to Nadiya’s 17 pumpkins and another vegetable she cultivated from her garden in Milton Keynes during lockdown.

‘I grew okra this year,’ she declares. ‘If you overcook it, it’s slimy. Toss it in egg whites and rice flour and deep-fry it. It’s so good! Trust me.’

It’s impossible not to. Six years on since winning The Great British Bake Off in 2015, Nadiya, 36, is now one of the country’s most acclaimed and accomplished cooks.