Nadiya Hussain went blackberry picking with her children in the woods yesterday, and then came home and made jam and curd, the only difference being that she turned it immediately into a recipe that could be used in the weekend papers.

“Since Great British Bake Off it has been like falling into a black hole,” she smiles, “it’s been phenomenal, and my life has changed so much as a result. I have had so much fun.

“It’s all so new to me, but I’m an ‘I’ll do it person’ and the more a project scares me the better it will work out.

It means that despite GBBO’s defection to Ch4 the 2015 winner is reluctant to criticise the ship that launched her. “To have an opinion would be ridiculous. How can I? I’ve only been involved in the show for about a year. All I can say is that GBBO is a great show and one that people love watching. Change is normal, and I suppose and we just have to get on with it.”

It is a wise move for a woman thrust so suddenly into the spotlight from a fairly sheltered life. Because alongside fame comes criticism and Nadiya has unfortunately had her fair share of trolls.

“Some people say I’ve only been noticed because I’m Muslim, so I get a lot of negative comments,” she admits,“which is ironic because I had no intention of trying to change the world. When I applied to GBBO it was because I had lost my confidence and needed to get it back. I’m a mum who just wants to be a good role model to my kids.”

But I don’t want this piece to be about her detractors, because Nadiya is such an inspirational person, determined to make the most of the opportunities that present themselves and crest the wave.

Those of us who love her recipes and cooking, who are fascinated by her story (a recent BBC documentary on her journey back to Bangladesh was surprisingly personal), and fans of her cookbooks, know that she’s a natural entertainer, teacher, educator and role model. In short Nadiya’s go it.

That she is headlining this year’s Thame Food Festival therefore comes as no surprise, neither that the organisers love her. Having played to the crowds at The Big Feastival this summer ,she obviously enjoys performing live and meeting her endless fans.

“I soon realised that the audiences are completely different at each festival and that we all love food in different ways and that’s why I love going to these festivals, to get out there and go to places I haven’t been before," she agrees.

“There are 25,000 people expected at the Thame Food Festival so that’ll be really interesting. And as a headliner I’m just looking forward to it. People get so fixated by what we are doing and what we cook, that it’s hard not to enjoy it.

“My biggest worry though is that people won’t turn up -that I’ll get on stage and there’ll only be two people there,” she laughs.

Hardly: with two cookbooks under her belt since winning the cult baking show last year, TV shows, a regular recipe slot in The Times, numerous TV appearances and live cooking demonstrations to perform, she’s never been more popular.

“But I do worry that one day someone will turn up on my doorstep and ask for my trophy back, that they have made a mistake,” she admits.

So how does she juggle it all? “It’s been an adjustment because until GBBO I was just enjoying being a mum and not doing anything else, so I've had to take it all in my stride. My sons are fine about it, but my daughter, when she whinges says ‘I wish Tamal had won’. When I tell Tamal (GBBO finalist) he always laughs and says ’that’s because she knows I’m a better baker,” Nadiya giggles.

So how does she cope? “It’s hard, trying to run a home while you are doing all of this at the same time,” she accedes, gesturing at her kitchen which is a constant hive of activity.

“But I have an amazing husband who helps out, and my mum turns up with eight different kinds of curry in case we haven’t had time to eat, so I have a great support network.

“And it’s good for the kids to see me go out to work and do something I really love. Whatever job you do as a parent you feel guilty, don’t you?

“So I do cook as much but I’m more practical about it now, because there is always recipe development and testing going on as well.

“It does mean that my home is now also my workplace, and that I’m always working, either on new stuff or writing stuff down. But I never run out of inspiration - I find it in all kinds of food and places."

The two-part documentary ‘The Chronicles of Nadiya’ was a different thing altogether, more of a travelogue, as she took us back to her homeland and showed us around.

“It’s a journey I’ve been wanting to make for a long time. I suppose I didn’t realise how personal it was going to be until I watched it back afterwards.

“I was worried about how it would be received, and that no one would want to watch it, but actually people wanted more which was quite a compliment really.”

“I suppose I still feel that it’s all been so unlikely, as if I’m just winging it so I’m just going to see how it goes and enjoy it myself. When I stop doing that, I’ll stop too.”

The Thame Food Festival runs on Saturday Sept 24. www.thamefoodfestival.co.uk