The chef has lost her BBC gig and is now working as a classroom assistant. Why are people laughing at her choice instead of praising her, asks Neil Mackay. Isn’t teaching children one of the most valuable roles in society?

I bore my family to distraction with my obsession for TV cookery shows. Keith Floyd taught me to cook when I was about 14-years-old. I graduated through the ranks of Delia Smith - my Svengali and seer; Rick Stein - go-to for seafood, if somewhat annoying in a posh-boy way; and even the Hairy Bikers, who I loved for the warm wee glow their friendship gave me - plus they were infallible when it came to an old-fashioned pie.

It was great when Nadiya Hussain arrived, fresh from the Great British Bake Off - not a show I’m much fond of, thanks to its insufferable tweeness (and the fact that I’m a C-grade baker at best). She was a font of knowledge on using spices and intriguing recipes. Though I must confess that one or two of her curries left me rather ‘meh’. 

So I’ve kept an eye on what’s been happening to Hussain since the BBC decided in its endless stupidity to get rid of her. Of course, the broadcaster said it has simply chosen “not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya”, but let’s be honest, they hoofed her out the door unceremoniously. And the move was damn stupid.

Hussain filled a real gap in British cookery shows. Where were the modern-day Madhur Jaffreys or Ken Homs of old until she arrived? Like Jaffrey and Hom, Hussain offered authenticity; an approach to cooking which came from her own home, her own family and her own culture. That’s half the point of a good meal - it’s a way of understanding and identifying with other people and places: travel via the........

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