The winner of the Great British Bake Off 2015 is 30-year-old Nadiya Hussain, who wowed everyone with a wedding cake clad in a sari with the colours of the Union flag.
The mother-of- three, born and bred in Luton, was initially under confident and skeptical with how receptive people would be of her in the competition. She feared that the viewers may dismiss her as “a Muslim in a headscarf”, however, she came out victorious, astonishing herself the most. She said, “I was a bit nervous that perhaps people would look at me, a Muslim in a headscarf, and wonder if I could bake.”
Journalist and author, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown wrote in the Daily Mail, “As a liberal Muslim myself, I admit that I was also initially put off by Nadiya's headscarf and severe look. Yet by winning the show with such grace, humour and dignity, Nadiya has done more to further the cause of Asian women- and men- than countless government policies, think-tanks, initiatives and councils put together have achieved in the past half-century.”
During the competition, Hussain's determination had won the hearts of the audience, especially when she stated, “Just because I'm not a stereotypical British person, it doesn't mean I am not into bunting, cake and tea. I'm as British as anyone else.”
Hussain, undoubtedly has been the favourite among the audience, especially for her wry facial expressions and witty comebacks, saying things such as she would rather give birth again than try to make another chocolate soufflé. “I wasn’t even trying to be funny. At the time I said it, it really was in the heat of the moment and it was a stressful moment. I’m not giving up on the chocolate soufflé just yet though. It won’t beat me.”
Hussain, who moved to Leeds after her marriage to her technical manager husband, Abdal, had spent 10 years dedicating herself to her family. Her husband is supportive and took responsibility of the children while she concentrated on the show. She said, “My husband thinks it's great and he steps back and takes photographs when we're out and about. He is very proud and really happy for me.”
Describing Hussain's final cake, one of the judges, Mary Berry said it was “sheer perfection” and added, “The finished result had to wow us and Nadiya's showstopper was stunning.”
Hussain's showstopper was named My Big Fat British Wedding Cake, and spoke about the personal story behind the idea of this cake. “We went to Bangladesh to get married and they don't do cakes there. If I'd got married in this country I would definitely have had a cake.”
Her acceptance speech is touted as one of the best speeches, making viewers tear-eyed at home, as well as making the 80-year-old Mary Berry shed a tear as well. Hussain had said, “I'm never gonna put boundaries on myself ever again. I'm never gonna say I can't do it. I'm never gonna say 'maybe'. I'm never gonna say, 'I don't think I can.' I can and I will.”
After winning the competition, Nadiya Hussain is optimistic about the future. She said, “Family life will carry on as normal- being a mum to three children under ten is pretty time consuming- but I wanted to have my own adventure... I'm really looking forward to see what will happen.”
