Nadiya Hussain’s Cooking Show Is A Lesson In Using Up Leftovers

With life getting more expensive by the day, and food waste an increasingly important concern, we’re all looking for ways to make our weekly shop go further. And that’s exactly the focus of Nadiya Hussain’s BBC series, Cook Once Eat Twice, in which the former Bake Off winner shares ideas for using up leftovers.

Cook Once Eat Twice: What To Expect

What’s Cook Once Eat Twice About?

The clue’s in the name: this crafty cooking show is all about what to do with food scraps that might otherwise end up in the bin. In her latest six-part series, Nadiya – a busy mum-of-three – showcases creative ways to use up leftovers and make the most of the ingredients lurking at the back of the fridge.

‘Not wasting has been a big part of my entire life,’ she explains. ‘I grew up in an immigrant household, we lived from wage to wage, we were always saving, using up everything that we had – waste just wasn’t an option. So it’s something that’s been ingrained in me. I will find some way of using everything; I will never, ever throw anything away.’

Her aim is to change perceptions of leftovers – which she admits don’t have the best reputation. ‘They’re there in the fridge, clingfilmed or in some tupperware, and a day goes by, then two then five days, and you think, “I’m just going to have to bin them.” I get it. This is about showing people that leftovers can be really fun and you can re-create them into something really amazing without using too much brain space. It honestly doesn’t have to be a faff.’

The series is accompanied by Nadiya’s recent cookbook of the same name, which includes an array of batch-cooking recipes and meal prepping ideas, from cheese and lamb samosas to lemon sherbet loaf.

Which Recipes Have Featured?

Each week, Nadiya cooks two recipes – firstly one of her classics, then a second which is created using the leftovers.

• Episode One: Nadiya demonstrates how to turn an old bag of salad into a pasta sauce, and a spiced carrot soup becomes a cod and carrot curry.
• Episode Two: Beef stir-fry becomes a sushi-style wrap, and Nadiya whips up some frozen burritos and a two-in-one corn chowder and pie.
• Episode Three: This episode is all about weekend comfort food: a Middle Eastern-inspired roast chicken and chickpea dish becomes hummus for Monday night. Then, the drained chickpea water is used to make chickpea meringue kisses.
• Episode Four: Swedish meatballs are served with miso gravy, then turned into a filling for stuffed flatbreads. Nadiya also shows us one of her signature recipes: a curry made using banana peel.

How To Watch Cook Once Eat Twice

Episodes air weekly on Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm on BBC2 and BBC iPlayer. They are then available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

When Was Nadiya Hussain On Bake Off?

Nadiya won the sixth season of Great British Bake Off, which aired in 2015. Reminiscing on the series, she said: ‘Every week I filmed and every week I thought I was the next one to leave. There were some near misses but somehow in the blink of an eye, there I was in the final. She went on: ‘But when they announced that I’d won the Great British Bake Off 2015, it all became a blur. All I remember is handing the trophy back to Paul and saying “are you sure you haven’t made a mistake?”’ 

Since then, Nadiya has appeared in a whole host of foodie TV shows and written multiple recipe books – and in 2016, she was enlisted to bake a cake for the late Queen’s 90th birthday.