Anyone who has spent a working week in Dubai, Doha, Riyadh or Istanbul during Ramadan will know that the rhythm of the city changes completely. Office hours shorten, lunch meetings vanish from the diary and, as the sun sets, entire neighbourhoods sit down together to break the fast. For the visiting business traveller it can be disorientating at first. Then, more often than not, it becomes one of the most memorable experiences of the year: an invitation to an iftar table, a plate of dates pressed into your hand, a sense of community that few Western cities can match.

Nadiya Hussain has spent her life at that table. Born in Luton to a British Bangladeshi family, she shot to fame in 2015 when she won the sixth series of The Great British Bake Off in front of more than 15 million viewers, delivering one of the most quoted winner’s speeches in television history. A year later she was asked to bake the Queen’s 90th birthday cake. Since then she has fronted a run of cookery series, from The Chronicles of Nadiya to Nadiya’s Family Favourites, written a long list of bestselling cookbooks and been appointed MBE for services to broadcasting and the culinary arts.

Her most personal book to date, Rooza, published by Michael Joseph, takes its title from the Bengali word for Ramadan. It looks at how the month of fasting is observed around the world and offers a main meal and dessert for each of the 30 days, plus a collection of feasting dishes for Eid. We asked her how she manages it all.

Every night a special night

After a long day of fasting, the first question in many households is simply what everyone wants to eat. For Hussain, the answer is refreshingly pragmatic.

“It depends on what your kids want to eat,” she says. “If beans on toast is what they’re craving after a day of fasting, I’ll let them have it, but I’ll make something else, a biryani maybe, for them to have after prayers.”

That is not to say that she treats any night as ordinary. “Every night is a special night, though. It’s like hosting a small dinner party for the people you love the most, every day for 30 nights.”

It is a lovely way of describing Ramadan, and it will ring true for anyone who has been welcomed to an iftar on a work trip. The meal that breaks the fast is never just fuel. It is an act of hospitality, and in many cities in the Gulf and beyond, hotels and restaurants open their doors to guests of every faith. Our guide to Ramadan in Abu Dhabi is a good place to start for anyone heading to the region during the holy month.

Life’s too short to be stressed

Thirty dinner parties in a row would test even the most organised host. So how does she do it?

“My entire existence in the kitchen is about making it easy and delicious, never compromising on flavour but always making it quick and accessible to everybody,” she says.

The secret, as any busy professional will appreciate, is planning. “When it comes to cooking for celebrations or festivities, it’s all about prepping ahead and using your time, and your freezer, wisely. You can make everything ahead, roast potatoes, vegetables. Even if you’re making a biryani in a few weeks’ time, you can prep the chicken curry mix and freeze it.”

Then comes the line that deserves to be framed on every kitchen wall. “Life’s too short to be stressed and too tired to eat!”

For the frequent traveller, it is advice that translates perfectly to life on the road. There are few things more welcome after a week away and a late flight home than a homemade curry waiting in the freezer, and few things more demoralising than a fridge containing half a lemon and a jar of mustard. Batch cook on Sunday, label it clearly and your Thursday-night self will thank you.

Thirty days on the trot

For Hussain, who lives in Milton Keynes with her husband Abdal and their three children, the real joy of Ramadan is not the food at all. It is the time.

“It’s the only time I see my kids for 30 days on the trot for dinner,” she says. “One’s in sixth form and has a part-time job, the other’s out and about and my little girl is always doing something, so our diaries aren’t always aligned.”

Ramadan, it turns out, is a great leveller. “During Ramadan though, they’re shattered and can’t be bothered to socialise, so we see each other a lot. That’s the best bit for me, knowing I have them for 30 days. I really savour them.”

It is a sentiment that will resonate with any parent whose working life involves long stretches away from home. Diaries that never quite align, family dinners that become occasional rather than daily: these are the hidden costs of a busy career, and Hussain’s delight in reclaiming a month of shared meals is a gentle reminder of what really matters.

A journey through the Muslim world

Rooza is, in many ways, a travel book as much as a cookbook. Rather than defining a single cuisine, it roams across the countries where Muslims live and eat.

“I chose countries where there are Muslims and cherry-picked some beautiful cuisines I’ve tried while travelling or in other people’s homes,” she says. “It was lovely to be inspired by all the things I’d eaten, dreamed about eating or researched.”

One cuisine in particular captured her imagination. “I loved researching Somali cooking as I’d never been to a Somali restaurant before.”

That admission, from one of Britain’s most prominent food writers, is a reminder that there is always more to discover. Somali cooking, with its distinctive spice blends, its Italian-influenced pastas and its fragrant rice dishes, remains little known to many British diners, even though there are thriving Somali communities and restaurants in London, Bristol, Birmingham and beyond. For business travellers with an evening free, seeking out a cuisine you have never tried is one of the simplest pleasures of being somewhere new.

Dates, cold water and cold roast potatoes

It is traditional to break the fast with dates, following the example of the Prophet Muhammad. But what else does Hussain rely on to restore her family after a long day without food or water?

“Cold water out of the fridge, that’s really important, as well as lots of hydrating fruit like watermelon and honeydew melon,” she says. “It’s a must, as drinking lots of water on an empty stomach can make you feel really weird.”

And then comes the family favourite that no one expects. “We also love having cold roast potatoes!”

The hydration advice is as useful at 35,000 feet as it is at the iftar table. Anyone who has stepped off a long-haul flight feeling dehydrated and depleted will know that gulping down a litre of water at once rarely helps. Little and often, with plenty of water-rich fruit, is the better approach. Travellers who fast during Ramadan and fly during the month should also note that many airlines make provision for them, with Emirates supporting customers during the Holy Month of Ramadan, handing out meal boxes on board and at the gate and even calculating the precise moment of iftar at 35,000 feet.

As for the cold roast potatoes, they are, quite simply, a stroke of genius. Anyone who has raided the fridge on Boxing Day will understand.

Marking the milestones

Thirty days is a long time, and Hussain’s family breaks the month into manageable stages.

“We mark every 10 days. The last 10 days are important because you know it’s nearly over.”

For those who have never fasted, she acknowledges that the idea of going without food and drink from dawn until dusk might sound daunting. Her experience is quite the opposite.

“For anyone who doesn’t fast, it might feel like a huge thing to give up food during daylight hours but it’s one of the most mindful and peaceful things to do. It’s beautiful. It’s the only time when everything feels calm, serene and focused.”

It is a striking description, and one that many non-Muslim colleagues might not expect. In an age of wellness retreats, digital detoxes and mindfulness apps, Hussain describes something far older: a month in which the noise of daily life quietens and attention turns inward. For business travellers visiting Muslim-majority countries during Ramadan, understanding that sense of calm, and respecting it, is part of doing business well.

Butter, ghee and the Eid korma

At the end of the month comes Eid al-Fitr, and with it a feast. Hussain has a dish she saves for the occasion, or at least a special version of it.

“Chicken korma,” she says. “It’s a beautiful, rich dish that tastes better a couple of days later, so we make it ahead.”

The difference is in the fat. “We do have it throughout the year, but made with oil, whereas for Eid we use lots of butter and ghee to make it extra delicious.”

It is the culinary equivalent of the upgrade to business class: the same journey, but with everything a little more luxurious. And once again, the lesson is to make it ahead. A dish that improves after a couple of days in the fridge is a dish that frees the cook to enjoy the celebration.

Samsas and a handful of nuts

Writing a book of 30 days of recipes demands a certain amount of fuel. So what kept her going?

“There are a lot of nuts in the book, so I always have some to hand,” she says.

There was one recipe, however, that proved dangerously moreish. “When I made the samsas, sweet samosas, I tested the recipe twice, even though I didn’t need to, because they’re so good!”

A small bag of nuts is, of course, the business traveller’s best friend too: light, filling, and far better for you than whatever is on offer at the airport newsagent.

Limitless

Finally, we asked whether Rooza helps to dispel any common misconceptions about Islamic cuisine. Her answer is both generous and profound.

“The recipes are from countries where there are Muslims, and really the term ‘Islamic cuisine’ could be anything,” she says. “There are people raised in England who convert to Islam and, whatever they eat, that’s their cuisine, whether it’s lasagne or something else.”

Then she sums it up in two words. “Islamic cuisine is ever-growing and never-ending. It’s limitless.”

It is a fitting conclusion from a woman whose own food story stretches from Bangladesh to Bedfordshire to Buckinghamshire, and whose cookbooks have always found room for fish finger sandwiches alongside fragrant curries. Hussain has spoken openly in recent years about the challenges of being a Muslim woman in British television, and about her disappointment when the BBC chose not to recommission her series in 2024. But her work has continued, with Nadiya’s Quick Comforts following Rooza onto the shelves in 2026, and her voice as a writer has, if anything, grown stronger and more personal.

A taste of Ramadan on the road

So what can the business traveller take from Nadiya Hussain? Cook ahead and use your freezer. Drink water little and often, and pack some fruit. Carry a bag of nuts. Treat every shared meal as a small dinner party for people who matter. And when you find yourself in Istanbul, Abu Dhabi or Kuala Lumpur as the sun goes down during Ramadan, accept the invitation to the iftar table. For those heading to Turkey, our tips for luxury travel experiences in Istanbul will help you make the most of it.

Above all, perhaps, remember her definition of Islamic cuisine: ever-growing, never-ending and limitless. It is a pretty good description of the pleasures of travel too.

Rooza: A Journey Through Islamic Cuisine Inspired by Ramadhan and Eid by Nadiya Hussain is published in hardback by Michael Joseph, £25. Find out more at nadiyahussain.com.