It may come as no surprise to you that I’m a huge fan of The Great British Baking Show. Baking marvels combined with soothing music and supportive, friendly competition? It doesn’t get better than that. My favorite baking champion was Nadiya Hussein, so I was delighted to learn that she now has her own cooking show!
Nadiya’s Time to Eat is all about learning how to make flavorful meals in just a few minutes with pantry staples. No fancy ingredients, no running out to the store to get fresh herbs, no time spent standing over a pan. Most of her meals take less than ten minutes to prep and are ready to eat in another ten.
Nadiya centers her lessons around her many cooking “cheats”, from using canned potatoes and mushrooms to cooking pancakes in a casserole dish instead of one by one on the griddle. She also emphasizes the flexibility of her recipes; many of the ingredients can be substituted to fit your tastes or whatever you have on hand. This is truly a show made for busy, working-class folk. Throwing some eggs, mushrooms, and tortilla in a pan to make a fast and filling lunch? It can’t get much easier than that.
One of the things that sets Nadiya’s show apart from other cooking shows is that she takes the time to show viewers where their food comes from. In the first episode, she visits Britain’s largest mushroom farm. Here, she marvels at the growing process and the people who raise and harvest the mushrooms. As the camera follows these workers who pick, slice, and package the fungi, the respect that Nadiya has for them is clear. In this time of learning who the “essential workers” truly are, Nadiya’s celebration of food producers feels particularly poignant.
If you’re a fan of The Great British Baking Show, you may remember that Nadiya struggled a lot with her confidence throughout the season. Her anxiety made many of the challenges that much more difficult, and every win came as a shock to her. When she tearfully stated in the finale, “I’m never going to say ‘I think I can.’ I can, and I will,” it was a hard-earned moment of triumph. Now, five years later, Nadiya moves about her colorful kitchen with confidence and verve. Seeing a Muslim woman take center stage like this is very much needed, and her open discussion about anxiety even more so.
Even if you don’t take away any recipes from Nadiya’s show, you’ll still get a few minutes of warmth, joy, and color. Nadiya’s Time to Eat is comfort food turned into TV, and you might even learn a new recipe while you’re at it.
You can see the entire first season of Nadiya’s Time to Eat on Netflix, and you can find the recipes on the BBC website!