That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Nancy Birtwhistle

Episode Date: March 3, 2026

The queen of green, Nancy Birtwhistle, joins Gaby for a natter about baking, cleaning, dogs - and much more! Nancy's new book is full of great tips to help you go green at home, to make your own cleaning products, get rid of moths - and many other very simple and helpful things. They chat about Bake Off and Crufts and so many other things! We hope you'll come away feeling inspired - but mostly - joyful!

Nancy Bertwistle, do you always match your books with what you wear? This is intentional today. It is? Yeah, I have to say. I thought, do you know what? I have a jumper that colour. I love it. What do you call it?

Now, would you call your cover purple, lavender? Lelike? Come on. Nancy Bertwistle knows everything. I think I'd say lavender. Okay. I think I'd say lavender. What can we use?

Is lavender for for? Apart from Smelly Nice on our moth What do I do with my moths

Nancy? Lavender. Oh, you see I knew. There's a moth spray in there. Oh! Oh!

Yes. Okay. Woolen detergent There's a whole chapter on Careful Woolens. So there's woolen detergent,

how to wash woolens. I even washed a woolen coat, a bright yellow woolen coat. What? A ho? Yes.

Really? And that's in there. And, yeah. Can we go back to moths? Please, can we go back to moth?

Moth repellents. Right. So, Nancy, my favourite jumper is bright pink, unsurprisingly, and it's got smileys on the elbows. And somebody has completely and utterly somebody. Moth, moths have completely eaten it. There's a moth coming in now. The moth nose.

A moth, they've eaten it, but lumps. Not just little nibbles, a big lump out of it. Yeah, it's the little. little grubs. The adult moths lay their eggs. I'd put it in the freezer. Yeah. But, yeah.

And they lay their eggs. As the eggs hatch, the little grubs, eat your jumpers. Well, they'll eat linen, they'll eat cotton, the late wool. It's only my posh jumpers that they eat.

Yes, you're expensive. They're not interested in polyester. No, but it's my cheaper wool ones. They're not interested in. No. but my cashmere. I know. It's heartbreaking.

How do they know it's cashmere? What do they do? Oh, they know. Oh, they know. In fact, what I do with mine, I have some... In fact, I bought one time quite a few years ago, an expensive cashmere jumper. And it was given to me in a bag. One side was like plastic, see-through plastic, and the other side was like a wood.

and sort of, presumably polyester with a zip. They said, always keep your jumper in that. And do you still? To keep it moth free, yeah. Does it go static? Because you probably've got something to stop static as well. Got something to stop. See?

What do you not know? Well, it's like anything. The more you know, the more there is to know. And if I want to know something, I'll try and research it. And you do get some conflicting stuff on the internet. So then what you have to do is have a go yourself. How did it all stop? I mean, I know we'll talk about Bake Off and obviously we'll talk about all of that.

But how did the clean and knowing all this? Where did it come from? Did your family do this when you were growing up? My grandmother certainly was born just before the First World War. So they had known very much how to make do and mend. You know, there were no cleaning products particularly. It was vinegar. it was bicarbonate of so...

Which is what you use and you've shown us on the morning away. But I thought... I knew a little bit because you take things in as a kid, don't you? And I remember having some in a sort of sugar shaker and things like that. But then I thought, people aren't going to do that now.

They want to... We need to bring these old ways into the 21st centuries. And, you know, we've got essential oils for perfumes because people... We've been brainwashed into believing that if someone... something smells nice and it's clean, which of course is nonsense.

But that's what we've come. I've never thought of it like that. I mean, I'm a, I think you and have had this conversation. I am obsessed with smells because I have a super nose. And if I don't like a smell, then. So cleaning, I hate cleaning products, fake cleaning products, full of rubbish and bad things for the environment. Because I can smell that they're not good. And once you've gone, once you've gone great.

and I'm now into my sort of 11th year of it. Isn't that amazing? And it is addictive but in a feel good way. And what I find now is I can smell fabric softener a mile off. Yes. I can smell, if I get into a car that's got an air freshener thing, I can feel a headache coming on. I'm the same.

And my nose, I've got a good nose. My nose just knows the difference between a natural smell and a chemical synthetic smell. We'll be a nightmare on a day out together, wouldn't we? Yeah. We'll be sniffing everybody. Oh, no, don't like that. So, okay, what's the smell that you love then?

Lavender? I like lavender, yeah. I like the smell of lavender. I like the smell of eucalyptus amazingly because eucalyptus, I thought, was too pungent and too strong. And then I had a little bottle of organic essential oil that I'd bought that was eucalyptus. And I thought, that's just too heavy for me.

And I thought, I'm going to use it up in the fabric softener. It is amazing in a fabric softener. Really? Because it leaves not even a eucalyptus smell. Because eucalyptus is quite strong. It's strong. And up your nose. That's my face is giving you that. Yeah.

It does that. And I thought, I'm going to use this one up. And I thought, this laundry is coming out of the washing machine. It smells absolutely amazing. A kind of pine kind of fragrance. Not locally in a pine. No. Okay.

And then on the line, blowing around, and then, because I still like in. For you. I'm a bit old school. But I love white crisp. I like that. I steam. Should I not say that to you? I steam.

No, that's absolutely fine. Can you forgive me? Yeah, yeah. Some people don't iron at all. but I'm just, it's just a light. Yeah. I like ironed, white pillowcases and things like that. And I could, I was ironing, I thought, I'm still getting just a faint, nothing to,

I'm just getting a nice fresh perfume. Okay. Not overpowering, not lasting, but it's pleasant. Eucalyptus with what? Just with vinegar. Oh, that's it? That's it. Now, which vinegar?

Because we're not talking your fishing chips. vinegar, are we? We're talking distilled white vinegar 30p for 700 mills in the supermarket and if you really don't like if you say no I don't like the smell of vinegar you can of course infuse it just with orange peel or lemon

peel and it takes on a citrus it tone rather than that pungent vinegar smell. I love vinegar yeah I like it I like eating it anything that's in vinegar I love it I love pickles that's a whole other conversation but we so we clean our kettle we always we Nancy

Bertwistle, we, Nancy, Bertwistle, our kettle. And then whenever we do it, we, I go, Nancy, I'm doing the kettle. Like, you're there in our house like some, because you showed us how to do that on morning life. And it really, really works. It's so clever. Yeah, it's, and I mean, I discovered all these things. It's not like I knew it all. But I decided, I think it was having grandkids because I looked at the, 10, between us, we've got 10, yeah. Wow.

Because what's it called nowadays? A blended family. And you see the little faces and I just thought, what is it going to be like for them? And as things have moved on, I started off very much with an eco head on and thinking, you know, looking after the planet and everything else. So many people are doing to our planet, it's heartbreaking.

Yeah. And, you know, there are those people, and I get it, that say, actually you're wasting your time because there's so much big other stuff. No, we all have to do it. a little something. I think so. I think if every little kitchen did something, and I do think there's an appetite for it,

I really do. Here comes the tea. Oh, here comes the tea. Joe is brilliant. Look at that. Oh, thanks Joe. It's rolling in your tea. There you go, now. Marvelous. Are you going to pour it for her as well? Yeah, of course I am, yeah. Thank you.

Are you, you're going milk second? Maybe Nancy likes milk first. I do milk first. I knew it! I knew it! Whether that's, is that a bit Yorkshire? I don't know.

That might be a Yorkshire. I love this is happening on the podcast. Because you see, there is a story behind this, isn't there? Go on. Go on. You'll maybe a bit posh, Joe. Go on. Because the history behind it was only the finest china

could withstand very hot tea first. So, poorer folks with less finer China, would put the milk in food. first and then pour the tea because it wouldn't crack with China. So you're obviously from good stock. The thing is, how do you know how much... Is that colour okay for you? That's perfect, actually.

Very good. Joe. You, you. I love that. Love that. We were talking about grandchildren. About grandchildren. And I looked at the little faces and I just thought, what's it going to be like for them?

Yeah. And I'm thinking even if you're a climate denier, even if you're thinking, yeah, no. All of us want to save some money and all of us want to protect our own health. And all you have to do is read the reverse labels on our cleaning products. And you read them. It's so shocking. But what we're doing, you know, it's, you and I've had this conversation as well about what you put down your loo. Yes. Absolutely.

What you're doing to the environment, what you're doing to the environment, what you're doing to the fish and all those fat bugs and the and the and the and the town packs bugs and but also what you're doing to the wildlife and and it's awful and and I think um and I certainly up until I started doing this you think about throwing things away I'm going to throw that away but we're all on this same planet it's not going it's still on our planet you know and if you're throwing a plastic bottle away and even if someone Something on the bottle says decomposes or what's the word that they say. Decompostable.

Yes, something like that. Compostable. Well, compostable's fine. Yeah, because that means it can go in the compost. Recycling. Yeah. You don't know if it's... Less than 9% of plastic is recycled.

Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't. It's awful. So, it's very interesting. There's a product that somebody I know launched and they're in little plastic bottles. And I asked them why and they said, Because we wanted to do them in little tins. We wanted to do them in little glass. But the price was expensive and people said they didn't want them in that.

I think, but hold on, you're... Yeah. That's really why. And I know it's not for everybody. You know, I've had, even my own family members say, you know, we're working full-time. We've got the kids that are there. Are you really expecting us to mix our own cleaning products? It doesn't take long.

It doesn't take long and you can make them in bulk. None of those things go off. I found a bottle of pure magic on the back of the cupboard that I'd done for some filming at home and I thought, and I looked back on my phone and I thought, God, that filming was a year ago. Oh, that's fantastic. And this pure magic was still fine.

So Sunday Times best selling author, you're never going to get bored of that. That's just, isn't it a great line? Isn't it a great line? Clean magic, essential new tricks for a sparkling green home. But this is, it's you through and through these books are so wonderful. Oh, look, 100. 101 new tips.

Yeah. But these books are you through and through, and I want it, if we may, just go back to before all of this. And I suppose the first time that all of us knew you was when we were watching the OG, the original Bake-Off. Yeah. And you tried to get onto Bake-Off the year earlier, hadn't you?

I did. And what a good job I didn't. Because I tried to get onto series four. Because I'd retired and I thought, is this it now, until I'm dead? because I didn't like it. All I was seen was old people and I was only 52.

Oh, isn't that ridiculous? And I thought, you know, I'd worked full time like forever and then suddenly you're not and that was for me a big mistake. And my husband said to me why don't you join the St Mary's Church Ladies' Group? I said, do you have in a laugh?

Is that really? And I did go, once and to a ladies group and they were making things out of old socks and I thought it's great but it's not really it's not going to give me what I want for the risk. It does a great job. It does a great job and there's a community thing and it was good. But it wasn't for you. But it wasn't for me and I did enjoy baking and part of my retirement was on a Thursday I'd become a Bake Off fan by then and so I used to watch Bake Off

and then on the Thursday I would practice the technical challenge and I thought actually I could do this I think I could do this so I entered series four I had two auditions I think and got really quite excited about it

told everybody even the butcher not the butcher you never believe I've got an I've been auditioned twice for Baker off. No, yeah, I have, yeah. And this, that and neither. And then I got the call to say, I'm sorry, but

you've not been successful. So I said, why is it? Because I'm too old. Because I'd got this thing in my head about age, that, you know, I was... Well, it's out there. Ageism is out there, but... And I said, is it because I'm too old? And they said, God, no, no, it's because your bread was rubbish.

Oh, that's hysterical. So we'd had to do... Take a bread as part of the audition. And, yeah, mine was rubbish. And in fact, I think Paul Hollywood said to me, because he was at the audition, and he said to me, why have you under-proved your bread?

I don't know. I didn't even know I had. You don't know what you don't know, do you? So I spent a year practicing bread, and then I applied again. Got onto series five, didn't tell a soul because I had to... Not even the butcher? Not even a butcher, because I'd had to go back and untow...

Because everybody I saw then... How did you get off? How did you get on with your bake-off application? Oh, I didn't get on, but I didn't want to do it anyway. You know, it was one of those situations. And then I got on to series five, and it turned out to be the one, the series that went on to BBC one. So for me, it was fantastic. And the series that went to the States.

And it, I know people always use this expression, but it really did dramatically change your life. Oh, unbelievable. I mean, yes, literally unbelievable. You never thought when you entered it, but all these years later, was it, 2014 you did it? Yes. So 12 years later, you're going to be Sunday Times bestselling author, own shows, million followers on socials,

and walk down the stream, people go, all right, Nancy. Yeah. You never saw that coming, did you? No, no. And I don't know, it's a, it's a, it's a, Funny thing, because it's not for everybody, I don't think. I think I'm not very good at, especially social media, because people can just say what they want.

Delete, delete, delete. And at first it's because you think, well, I would never say that to somebody. So why is it? You don't know me. So why? But it would upset me. But now I think I have the skin thickens. But also, you don't, I can't, in the nicest possible way, Nancy,

I can't imagine anybody being abusive to you. Maybe there's climate deniers who would be, but that's them. But I can't imagine anybody else being nasty to you because you're just good, kind, lovely, generous, sweet, funny person. Well, I try to, because I think, especially with this green lifestyle change,

I think if I'm not there as a helpline, people might give up. They might think, this, it doesn't work, or it's, you know. And that's why the books keep, because it's really responding to questions. You know, washing machine mould. And it's great when it works.

It absolutely gives me the buzz. I'm thinking, this is so good. It is so good. You just need four basic ingredients and you can crack anything. But now, okay, so with this book, is there the, when you sit there, okay, at the end of the,

a day you sit there and you're, oh no, I've opened it, you will need for the pre-soaked a bucket. I love that. But when you sit there and you pick up your books and you read this and best-selling, is it all slightly unbelievable? You said it was then, but is it now or are you used to it all? it's a funny thing because most of my work is done just in a solitary space like writing is a very solitary experience you're just sitting there

and you might be in a little room and you're just in front of your computer there's nobody there to talk to and then you know after a process of events there's a whole team come together illustrators copy editors proofers and index writers, all these people. And then there's this book. And you think, you know, that's made a journey from just being on my computer with me to a gorgeous piece of work like that. And that is fairly humbling, I think, because...

I like that you feel that. Yeah. I don't... You know, and there is an anxiety I think about with every book because you're thinking, I like. it and I'm proud of it. I just hope everybody else of course they will. Sees it the same. You're very, like I said I'm sorry that you got any abuse because you're so loved. I mean when I said to people

oh Nancy Bertwistle at last is coming on the podcast when everyone does the same thing they go oh Nancy oh I trust her and actually isn't that lovely people trust you? Yeah I think I think I try I'll be honest with people there's no point in putting a post out and let's face it there's a lot of stuff that you see on

on social and you think that's not going to work and yet there may be thousands and thousands of people that have liked it and I just look at it and I think and then you look at the comments and say sorry mate this didn't work and this that and this either

but I haven't had that because they work how does it feel to be so trusted that must be lovely It's nice. Yeah. You speak your mind though, which I also love.

You and I have had some conversations, which not for now. But you've said a couple of things about things. And honestly, I was just like, wow, you're reading my mind. And you went, oh, I don't miss a beat. You don't miss a beat, do you? You don't miss the thing. Yeah. I think I've been around the block a few times.

I think I can suss people out fairly well. Yeah, you can. Yeah. Which is a lovely gift to have. Do you still do the So, obedience dog training? I have a dog that isn't that obedient.

When didn't you go to crofts? Oh, I brought it. Oh, is this the thing that brings you joy? Oh, okay, did I spoil it? Okay, it's meant to be surprised. Oh, right, okay. Okay, this is what brings you joy? This, every time I see it, right?

Oh, look at that. Now, when I get a bee in my bonnet, just like. Interregional crofts. 1989. 1989. Back in my 30s, I was never allowed a dog

when I was a child. Oh. So when I was a grown-up person with my own house and I thought my kids are going to have a dog because I always really, really wanted a dog. So I got a Labrador puppy.

Everybody loves a Labrador puppy and she was called Meg and she was gorgeous. And I thought, but this dog, I wanted to behave herself. And I don't, know anything about training dogs. So I went to a dog training class and then I thought this is a bit daft.

All we're doing is walking around in a circle with a dog on a lead and each one was just sniffing the dog in front. And I thought, this is like dogs. And I thought this isn't teaching this dog anything. And I got to know somebody that trained dogs for the ring, for the obedience ring. I thought that's where I want to be. I want to be doing this properly. So I joined this club.

It was quite a small club And they said, you know, this isn't pet training. This is obedience training. Oh, I said, yeah, I'm up for that. I'll do all of that. The rest of the club, they were all border collies. Except my yellow Labrador. So she thought she was a border collie.

She thought she was so clever. I mean, dogs are clever. They are, yeah. And so I really got into this obedience lark and I was travelling all around the country. dragging the kids with me, we were going to all these shows, because to be able to compete at Crufts, you have to have achieved so many points,

so you'd get three points for a win, two points for it, you know. And you needed so many points to be able to even apply to be on Crofts. And I was selected, and I could not believe it. So I'm coming to London. It was when it was at Earl's Court back in the day. and went into the obedience ring and of course there's the TV cameras and there's all this

and you had to leave your dog in a sit stay and she had to sit in one place for five minutes and the owners, the handlers left the ring and the dogs had to just sit there and I walked out

and I just heard roars of laughter what did Meg do laid down and went to sleep and... Oh! for the whole five minutes. But isn't that good? She didn't run off?

She didn't run off. But it was just... And I came back and I thought, no, you've done this perfectly. We went to the Isle of Man to a championship show and it was 33 degrees and people were saying, it's too hot for the dogs to work. My dog did a clear round.

Oh, Meg. And then, but when the cameras were on her, I think you just thought, I'm not doing it. But I like, so, yes, I can, do you know what, that story fits so perfectly with you? It's like, I don't know, I'm not suffering any fools. You don't want to get a look at me? I'm having a kip.

But I think it was one of those, have you got dogs, Gabby? No, do you? I can't, my husband's allergic, but I've grew up with a mum who bred dogs. But you know, you know when a dog is really flat out and they lay on the back and all four legs are in there, it was one of those sleeps. Oh, it was that full. Oh, fantastic. So she was relaxed. Do you have dogs still now?

Yes, yeah, I've still got two labs. What are they called? Wilfred and Rosie. But Rosie's 15, so she's quite an old lady now. Oh. But Wilfrid. But yeah, they're trained as pets. I don't train them for the ring anymore.

No, that's quite a thing. Yeah, it was full on. It was what green cleaning is to me now. Yeah, I was going to say you don't do anything by halves. You're going, if you're going to train the dog, you're going to get the top of BDias train and you're going to go to craft. If you're going to bake, you're going to take a year to learn how to get bread right and then go on to Great British Bake Off on BBC One, the year it goes to BBC One. And if you're going to do ways to keep your home clean in a green way, you're going to become a Sunday Times best-selling author. What's next, Nancy?

I don't know what's next. I don't know what's next. I just see it as a continuing journey. and something will always does. Do you have your own TV show yet and why not? I haven't got my own TV show. Why not? And have you got a podcast?

No. Right, you need to do one. Why don't you do a podcast? I don't know what you do. I don't know what you do. Do what you do. There, Joe's behind you right now. Do a podcast.

But you bring joy, but also people trust you. And people know that what you're going to say isn't BS. It's for real. Well, it's real for me. Yeah. But also you're a kind, lovely person. I hope so. You are?

I don't, I, you know, you have your thoughts about people and situations, but, you know, I'd rather do something positive. Yeah. You know what? It's the more people that we can hear from who are joy spreaders who talk, you know, are positive about things. We need it now more than ever. Oh, yeah. We don't need to underline all the news, but people like you, we need more of.

So Nancy Burk Whistle, thank you so much. Oh, thank you. I've thoroughly enjoyed it. We haven't finished, have we? Oh, no, no. You can carry on. Where else do I talk about it? Bless you.

Thanks, Nancy. Thank you.