British Muslim hailed as ‘inspiration’ after winning Great British Bake Off

A Muslim mother-of-three who captured the affections of millions of Britons with her cake-making skills – and eye-catching facial expressions – has been hailed “an inspiration” to women of her faith after being crowned Britain’s best amateur baker.

In the final of the BBC’s Great British Bake Off, Nadiya Hussain, 30, defeated Tamal Ray, a trainee anaesthetist of Indian origin, and Ian Cumming, a travel photographer sometimes employed by the Dalai Lama.

The climax to the 10-week competition attracted 14.5 million viewers at its peak – a record for any UK television programme this year.

Mrs Hussain baked 16 iced cakes, a raspberry mille-feuille and what she called “my big fat British wedding cake” for the “showstopper” section of the programme.

She designed the cake in red, white and blue, choosing the colours of the Union flag as a deliberate statement of her Britishness.

The splendour of her creation, described by the judges as “sheer perfection”, made up for the lack of a wedding cake at her own marriage ceremony in her family’s native Bangladesh, where varied desserts are uncommon.

Original article by Colin Randall

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British Muslim hailed as ‘inspiration’ after winning Great British Bake Off