Big fan, she's one-of-a-kind. A fascinating presenter.
I always found Nigella the personality annoying, but a friend who knows I love to cook gave me Feast one year as a birthday gift. After more than a decade, the binding is broken, the pages are stained and unglued...signs of a beloved cookbook. One chapter is entirely chocolate cake recipes. I really love chocolate cake.
4
I’ve been a fan of Nigella since I was 13 years old, I used to pull out her column in our family copy of The Sunday Times; before she wrote about cooking she wrote about make-up. For me she has been a role-model to the modern woman, unapologetically feminine and feminist – two qualities undervalued by society. Her writing is warm, motherly and accepting allowing validation for those that want to exist in that space.
11
I love Nigella Lawson, I eagerly await her cookbooks and loved her TV appearances, the production value of her TV series was tremendous and it made you want to cook, very inspiring and I think she has helped many people& their kids get involved in cooking and enjoying real food all the time...she is truly amazing...an overused word for sure but in Nigella's case it is true. Thank you Nigella you are amazing!
4
Every time I use my kitchen scissors to cut food in the air, instead of a slow sloppy knife, I thank Nigella. I loved her shows. To me she came across as completely present in front of the camera as I hear she does in her writing. So, brava!
It is not odd that women reacted to her as having “given them permission.” This is what mass media does in spades. Do men need permission? Maybe. But it was an axiom when I worked on Mad. Ave. that what we were disseminating was not so much information about products as permission to buy them and use them certain ways. Nigella just fell into what the most brilliant adman must deliver, and she did it with her entire package — brains and beauty. Once again, brava Nigella!
5
We love Nigella!!! we own all of her cookbooks and I actually bought how to be a domestic goddess for my husband!!!
4
Its apparent to me, if not many others, that her success is primarily due to her physical beauty. Her books and recipes, while good, are not so good that they would warrant special attention. Rather, it is her physical beauty combined with the counter-feminist message to cook that made her career. Kudos to her for cashing in on both genetics, a desire to succeed and a slightly above average writing ability. There are many other, vastly superior,female chefs not blessed with her physical attributes, laboring in the background.
1
@Toni I disagree. I think she's an excellent writer whose writing talent is unfortunately overshadowed by all the sexy glamour shots and "food porn" photographs that are used to sell her books. I don't care for the sexy-bordering-on-porno shots of her at all -- I think it's a shame she decided to go in that direction, however willingly or unwillingly -- but I would absolutely put her up at the top of food writers working today. And all the other female chefs you mention are certainly welcome to jump in the celebrity-publishing pool if they want to. Just because she's successful doesn't mean she's trying to stop anyone else from doing so.
12
@TimesReader. ....well said and note that Nigella is not a chef she is a home cook....quite different. Her beauty is obvious but it is her ability to inspire that makes the show work. She is articulate, charming and her books are fun and readable...but always inspiring....a la the very wonderful Elizabeth David.
8
I watch Nigella cook and listen to her comments. Her private life has never interested me. I have tried out some of her recipes and they work. I hope she continues to offer us her ideas in further cooking shows.
8
My copy of her book "Feast" is stained throughout. What wonderful recipes and I love the way her voice comes through in her writing. She let's you know how to substitute ingredients that you may not have and alludes to the pressures of cooking for your family while trying to balance a career. Love you Nigella!
9
I adore Nigella Lawson and have recorded her cooking shows for years -- even the repeats. She has a uniquely sensual way of presenting herself to viewers, as if she is doing something naughty by creating such beautiful food. At the end of the show, she will appear in her bathrobe at night. She will cut a huge hunk of moist chocolate cake left over from dinner and tempt you to make it yourself as she lusciously eats it. No other TV cook I've seen comes close to her uniquely persona and cooking style.
12
I've always loved Nigella Lawson cookbooks the recipes work and I think its great she's a beautiful woman who has got on with her life amid the highs and lows. Geraldine
9
It's overblown to write that Lawson is like cooking 'royalty' in the UK now. Her star has significantly fallen, not least because a number of her signature dishes - ham in cola and the like - are recognized as unhealthy. 'Comfort food' isn't universally embraced here, given rising levels of obesity and other health concerns. Nor am I impressed by the books - I find them ephemeral compared to, say, Elizabeth David's elegant minimalism or Anna Del Conte's fascinating depth.
Today, with the rise of veganism, vegetarianism and 'flexitarian' eating, a legion of chefs and cooks are revealing new horizons in plant-based cooking - Ottolenghi, Anna Jones, Meera Sodha and Sabrina Ghayour among them. Many of their recipes are freely available online. Since going near-vegan several years ago for the sake of the planet and my health, I've been inspired by their inventive zest. What's really refreshing, too, is that none of them presents themselves as the star attraction. The food is the main event.
8
@AlexW
I've been vegan for years and still I adore Nigella and all her cookbooks. For me the recipes are hardly the point. She has a way of talking about food which makes me want to cook, simply for the pleasure of it, the sensuality and the warmth. The last thing I want from my time in the kitchen is elegant minimalism.
16
I would imagine many older cookbooks contain unhealthy recipes based on today's standards. Still, I think Ms Lawson has encouraged us all to recognize cooking good food does't need to be difficult regardless of the variety .
12
@AlexW Ham in cola is a dish that has its roots in the American South. Maybe not 'healthy' but of a particular time and place for people to try if they want to, not unlike "flexitarian" eating (I have absolutely no idea what that is)!
3
So Nigella cooks comfort food - can you blame her? Losing her beloved first husband so soon, her father, her sister, the abuse from her second husband. If she didn't have her looks, perhaps some people would be less uncharitable.
38
Does anyone know if the new audiobook of How To Eat will be released in the US? I tried to buy if from Audible UK, and they weren’t allowed to sell it to me. Thanks
3
@Tricia Bowling You tried audible.com? How to Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food
Nigella-I hope you are reading these comments and if so sending you a big Thank You.
Nigella taught me (ironically) not to be afraid in the kitchen and that mistakes happen and just deal with it. Which she did on her TV show with such charm and grace when sometimes the heat was too high or egg shell got into the mix or other everyday minor mishaps occurred.
She also showed me that normal sized-women could be sexy and have an unapologetic appetite and enjoy food with reckless abandon.
44
@JastolzerThank you for saying what you did. I enjoy her show and I just received her latest cookbook for my birthday. She is a very interesting lady.
8
Thank you for this portrait of her. I enjoy her books very much and the joy she brings to this home cook. I wish her much happiness. And for the love of Pete, let go of the comments on her appearance. You would not describe a male cook this way.
39
I enjoyed watching her cook growing up. I loved that her joy seemed to come from doing something for someone else. Not the mechanics of ingredients! She was a full bodied woman like me and it felt like I was dropping in on her in the kitchen and we would eat and have a glass of wine and catch up. I have watched her many many years before Food Network. One of the few women on tv cooking. I love her. She paved the way for these younguns!!!
27
Every recipe I've tried has been doable and delicious, but beyond that, she's just a delight to watch and listen to. We'd be lucky to be invited to her table. Nigella Rules!
32
Even if she couldn’t cook, she’d be most welcome in my kitchen.
11
I had a friend who strongly resembles Nigella Lawson. When I told her that, she almost burst into tears because she considered that such a wonderful compliment. As another larger “ethnic” woman myself (but not a brunette like the lovely Lawson), I’m always happy to see someone considered beautiful who’s not yet another stringy mannequin with dyed blonde hair and toned arms. That she is smart, has a delightful writing voice and is a great home cook makes it even better.
41
A beautiful woman who is a goddess for recipes, cooking style, and hospitality. Viewing her cooking shows has been a joy for her love of cooking and the feeling one knows her. Her silky voice and engaging vocabulary only makes dining the more pleasurable. The feeling is one of her delightful recipes and of holding her close in friendship.
20
It is her way with words when she describes a recipe that I enjoy. From today's Instagram posting describing her brownie recipe. "This is a different kind of a brownie, most definitely for party-pudding, melting, fudgy and damply rich." Damply! Love it.
36
Love Nigella's recipes--she doesn't make a major drama out of cooking a delicious family dinner. But I can't help thinking God help a beautiful woman who is trying to be professional. All the knives in the press come out--and they're not for cooking!
65
I love her and she seems like a very real human being. She eats! Lots!
Yes, she has money, pedigree, and looks. But she’s worked hard and has really made a mark on food culture...so perhaps let the reverse snobbery go and enjoy what she has to offer.
38
Only have seen Nigella Lawson on the air once since her divorce and its issues. Ms. Lawson was in her I guess new kitchen preparing something while visiting with the reporter. Ms. Lawson (and her new kitchen) were incredible. Not a hint of the drug abuse, alcoholism, weight control issues, and other crazy issues with her daughter and husband. It was an amazing recovery. Yet, there is never a word about it. Even this article vaguely eludes to the problem Ms. Lawson faced and nothing about the recovery. I wish Ms. Lawson would write or give an interview that shares with us her challenge and accomplishment. oh well
8
Nigella's recipes and her show came into my life at a time when I was just learning to run a house and stock a kitchen. She provided me with a fabulous and totally attainable goal for feeding people. I admit I still hear her voice in my head when I am preparing a feast. I had the pleasure of meeting her at a book signing several years later. Unlike some celebrity interactions, Nigella was Nigella only in person.
Just the thought of her Vietnamese Chicken and Mint Salad https://www.nigella.com/recipes/vietnamese-chicken-and-mint-salad makes my mouth water.
28
I’ve always been puzzled by the marketing of the curvaceous-beauty, “sexy cook” thing, so perfectly personified by Nigella Lawson and (later, more overtly) Giada DeLaurentis. What audience is being targeted with that production model? Is the seduction factor aimed at men or women? I find it extremely off-putting, even risible. On the other hand, I enjoyed watching the late, take-us-as-we-are, unapologetically zaftig “Two Fat Ladies” instruct viewers on the techniques and history of preparing heart clogging foodstuffs. Jennifer and Clarissa, you are missed!
16
@Passion for Peaches I can't bear the idea of comparing the gorgeous Nigella with the tight-smiled Giada!
33
@ Passion for Peaches Left Coast
Reading the comments about Nigella Lawson, I realized how much I was missing in our household without television. But I do not feel sorry for this. :-))
1
I remember listening to an interview of her by Steve Inskeep on NPR's Morning Edition. It was blatantly obvious he was completely smitten by her soothing, sexy voice. By the end of the interview he was virtually speechless, which amused me to no end.
21
I grew up in a home where no one liked to cook, so I wasn't taught how to either. It was through Nigella's and Jamie Oliver's TV shows that I became interested in cooking as a child. I never learned a single recipe by memory, but I did learn what ingredients go well with what, and slowly but surely I learned. Now several years, my favorite part of weekends is cooking, it's very fun and relaxing, and I have her and Jamie to thank for that
25
@Mariann Ditto. Love them both for that. Laura Calder too.
9
Gastroporn: can never forget Nigella, with a mischievous twinkle, describing the texture of a blamange as having " an inner thigh wobble"
21
This is the time of the year I often bring the sun to our house making what we call "Nigella Chicken," her recipe for chicken slow roasted with garlic and lemon. Several of her cakes are staples of my repetoire. There is nothing snobby or frightening about a Nigella recipe, her books talk to you, making you feel as if you are getting advice from a friend.
I also love this quote from her, which some of the NYT writers should take to heart--starting with that asshat Michael Pollan:
“I also don’t like people thinking they’re better people themselves for the way they eat. We make choices for ourselves either for our health, delight, according to our income, according to our taste.”"
35
Love her. My books of hers are stained and falling apart. Girlfriend know how to cook!
13
Nobody writes articles about Bobby Flay being attractive. Why must so much written here about Nigella be about her appearance, makeup, etc. It should be about her books, shows, cooking, and their accessibility to her audience, all of which are present and positive. She has gone through difficulties in her life and made it to the other side. That is to be admired.
If you want to talk about television cooks leaning on their appearance, talk about Giada, whose recipes are less than inspiring and who seldom appears without buttons undone and a pushup bra.
29
I tried to watch the latest misadventures of Nigella Lawson, episodes of which are circulating on local television. Her pontifications come across as parodies, and the lighting and camera movements are something amateurs utilize to compensate for someone, in this case Lawson, not being qualified for any endeavor except standing and posing.
She's a superficial bit of pomp without circumstance. I want to watch a cooking show in which a person actually cooks, not pretends to be a breathy model. Her shows are great comedy, however.
4
@Jason Bennett Have you tried a single one of her recipes ? Maybe the format/presentation of her show is not to your liking, but don't knock her cooking until you try something !
26
@Jason Bennett Buy one of her books. She's a brilliant writer.
27
@Jason Bennett I own several of her cookbooks-do you ? They are all now rather tattered and bespattered as they are the most frequently used in my house (and I have many cookbooks). Her real work is to be seen there. Her writing is exceptionally good as you would expect from someone with her intellect.
16
I tried to watch the latest misadventures of Nigella Lawson, episodes of which are circulating on local television. Her pontifications come across as parodies, and the lighting and camera movements are something amateurs utilize to compensate for someone, in this case Lawson, not being qualified for any endeavor except standing and posing.
She's a superficial bit of pomp without circumstance. I want to watch a cooking show in which a person actually cooks, not pretends to be a breathy model. Her shows are great comedy, however.
2
What is this her followers pot smokers out of their heads. Seen her book so much stolen recipes turned into goo, standing flicking eyes at the camera trying to get attention for something you will never be.
1
One day, I too will be born into wealth and connections along with some busty genes and anything I do, with the unseen help of unlucky souls, will make me instant stardom!
1
@Gena Her stardom was anything but instant. Try her recipes, and you'll know why her fans (myself included) love her so much. She makes delicious, do-able, quick food with accessible ingredients - what's not to like ??
35
Reading these responses, it's amazing how much jealousy can be aroused by a voluptuous woman.
42
@Mark admiration, not jealously ...
Don't judge a cook by her lover
16
Nigella is a fantastic home cook, and her enthusiasm and charm shines through, along with some stellar production value. She has her chops down, unlike many of the TV chefs that came after her, which were often about gimmick. The Food Network and The Cooking Channel alone need 48 hours of food programming per day: it's no wonder it gives way to shows of lesser quality and a pattern of shtick. The superior chefs stand out, and I'm thankful for her uniqueness.
21
I had the opportunity to see her speak in October in Dublin. I had always idolized her and meeting her only made me like her even more. She is the first to say she’s not a high end chef, but rather a person that loves to cook for her family and friends. She was relatable and unassuming. Much like Julia child seemed on pbs. A home chef that provided receives that we’re delicious and something a home cook could recreate. It was a wonderful evening and I look forward to what she offers in the future.
26
It defies any sort of logical explanation, but I started to notice a while ago that the celebrity chefs and cooks who I enjoy watching almost never make anything that interests me - whereas the ones whose personas irritate me beyond all reckoning are the ones whose recipes I usually end up trying. Nigella Lawson is one of the very few who manages to defy that sorting, as I find her eminently watchable and her food the kind of inspired home cooking that appeals to me the most. And I love her use of the English language. I do see that her mannerisms and cooking style are easy to lampoon, and that on paper she should come off as impossibly pretentious, but somehow she’s just not. She was the first to introduce to me the endless possibilities of the tray bake, how to “gussy up” plain guacamole, and the addictive properties of no-churn pomegranate ice cream.
26
She always shared from her heart.
She said the most comforting, the most familiar and the most emotionally satisfying scent was that of a roasting chicken.
They don't offer that on Tinder.
21
Nigella Lawson is just brilliant. Her recipes are really delicious. She also appreciated that a delightful recipe that takes 20 minutes, has a real advantage over one that takes six hours.
39
Look, I am no fan, having listened to Ms. Lawson on NPR, over the years.
But enough with the comments regarding her appearance, and "not aging naturally."
So, Ms. Lawson cares about her looks.
Personally, I wish more people in general, cared about their appearance.
50
Having just read most of the (now) 62 comments I note that they are largely about La Lawson's persona, looks, style, voice (!), writing, Britishness, etc., with rather less about the quality or inventiveness of her food, as prepared on TV or indicated in her recipes. For what it's worth.
20
There are three chefs that over the years I really enjoyed watching their TV shows:
Julia Child, who was amusing to no end but whose recipes were so involved and the preparation of them so overwrought it was only possible for me to enjoy her persona, especially when she flubbed something and simply urged the viewer in that tremendous voice to not get caught up in perfection.
Graham Kerr, aka the Galloping Gourmet, whose show was on TV when I'd come home from elementary school to find that my mother had it on in the living room while she cooked up her staple dishes in the kitchen. It never seemed about the food with him, more about the right wine to have with the meal AND while preparing it. He was a hoot to watch, almost like a Monty Python-in-the-kitchen character.
And Nigella Lawson when "Nigella Bites" was first shown in the US. She made you feel like you had a lot of latitude for error as she showed how to make whatever dish it was that episode. And she is sexy, with a great voice, and nothing to apologize for.
I learned to make a wicked Thai green curry dish from that show and hope to see and hear more from her.
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@Peter
Nigella Bites was really fun to watch, and the recipes were tasty. I have made a few Julia Child recipes, but they were far more involved.
13
Look, here’s the deal: my husband of 38 years loves me and thinks I’m a goddess, but he’s the cook in the family and is absolutely mad about Nigella. (Actually, even if I ruled the kitchen, he’d still be gaga over her). We met her years ago at a book fair and heard her speak (brilliant), signed her cookbook and posed for a photo. Couldn’t have been nicer. So happy to hear that she has moved on with her life. I’m sure when I share this article with my husband he’ll immediately want to take out her cookbook and whip up something tasty for dinner in her honor. Long live the domestic goddess...each and every one of us.
95
A few years ago, I made (and consumed most of) the full quantity of macaroni & cheese from the recipe in her Christmas book. I was lucky the cross country ski trails were open at the nearby golf course.
29
I admit, I liked Nigella a lot at first because she is simply lovely and soothing to listen to. However, having watched many of her episodes, the type of food she cooks most often hasn't actually appealed to me. I love many many types of food from many cultures but almost every time I watch the show I end up switching the channel or turning it off because I am not enticed by what she cooks. I also had a cookbook of hers which I ended up donating to the library beause almost none of the recipes held any interest for me, sadly. I will say that it I think many people have put her on a pedestal because of her looks. But she is not exactly an angel. I had never looked up any information on her until I noticed that "plastic surgery" look on her face and it made me sad that even someone so pretty felt she wasn't good enough and needed to resort to that. It detracts from her natual beauty but I understand that the pressure to look good on TV is likely, intense. Anyway, reading about her cocaine use in particular, knocked her down a couple of pegs for me. It just showed me that she is just a regular woman with lots of money and probably a lot of problems who happens to be pretty and cooks on tv. I wouldn't idolioze or consider her a goddess but it's easy for the average person to get hyped up and blinded by her image of beauty and success. Overall, she seems like a nice person, albeit somewhat troubled, and I wish her well.
6
@Nic Smith: I agree entirely about the show. The menus for dinner parties were more suitable to "after the football game" or when four people dropped in uninvited. Easy, sure. Informal, too. Interesting, not.
6
Read Henry Alford's parody of Ms. Lawson, called "Summer Recipes" from the New Yorker. It's one of the funniest things published in a long time, and I imagine Nigella would agree:
Her is her "Summery Chinese Toboggan Salad"
1 can bamboo shoots
1/2 c. sesame oil
4 stalks celery, chopped
Juice and zest of 3 lemons
1 wooden toboggan
Put the toboggan in a food processor and pulse for ten seconds on Eviscerate. Remove the splinters from the processor and toss with other ingredients. Arrange on a plate with your bare hands, letting your fingers burrow into the mixture as they do when encountering the rich loam of the earth. Strike your gong.
46
@Eidolon, that reminds me of the British parody cooking show “Posh Nosh”! Drop-dead funny.
10
We all have an insatiable crush on Nigella Lawson.
She can't help it that she's perfect.
129
Over the years, her no-churn ice cream recipes (there are several flavors) are responsible for at least ten of the extra pounds I am still hauling around with me. Resistance was futile (or, rather, non-existent),
42
When I first saw her on tv (over a dozen years ago), as a young undergrad who never had to cook before, I thought ‘oh I think I can make this dish’. All I can recall is that the first recipe I successfully made from scratch was one of hers. I had a lot of badly made attempts at other TV chefs recipes. Instant ramen doesn’t count.
Because of her, I can cook. So thank you!
And I didn't think she was sexy so much as her voice is incredibly soothing.
43
I used to watch her show on PBS but got tired of her flowing locks that she used to push out of her face. Here's a hint Nigella, pull your hair back in a pony tail. No one wants to find it in their soufflé or soup.
25
@Margo Channing: Margo-- I totally agree. I don't mind the coquette act or her capitalizing on her looks, but I need a bit of practicality. Most of us normal folks opt for the ponytail, scrunchie bun, or even a headscarf when doing serious cooking.....
11
@Margo Channing
Or dragging her robe sleeves across the raw leg of lamb? My wife turned off the show and never returned after that.
9
@Tom Good thing you had another TV in the den! Yes, I so wish she had not capitalized on her looks...
When was the last time the New York Times published a picture of an accomplished man who had built a business empire striking a coquettish pose?
14
@MJ Williams https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/arts/richard-simmons-podcast-licensing-deal.html
Just doesn't seem the same though
18
@john Thanks for the laughs!
1
@MJWiliams Today, Karl Lagerfeld’s obituary. Reading this article made me hungry. I get so tired of cooking for my family of 5. Cleaning, shopping, cooking, have all become chores I dread. Well now I’m inspired to cook some delicious family meals bc of this article. I adore Miss Nigella.
9
Cooking is messy work. What's the point of mixing grease splatter and flour dust with a glamour queen? Seems very 1950's. Maybe someone told Lawson early on to push the beauty angle. For some people, eating food is synonymous with sex. The strategy clearly worked for Lawson, but now she needs to travel with a makeup artist and possibly a push-up bra. That's what happens when you "sell" beauty as part of your product, and you eventually hit 60.
At least underneath the glamour marketing, she's got brains, talent, and an alluring speaking voice. I've never tried one of her recipes, but she's fun to watch.
7
Love Nigella! We loved her show, Nigella Bites...it made cooking sexy! It showed her, like ALL of us, eating out of the fridge late at night. Her recipes are easy to follow and taste good. She just connected with this foodie household in a way other shows failed. You wanted to be at one of her dinner parties! Bravo Nigella...
33
Who cleans her range? Can you send them over quick!?
12
I love Nigella, but really, I don’t think she brought avocados and kale to the masses. I don’t think she made it OK for women to bake cupcakes again. In fact, I don’t think she was ground-breaking in anything she did with food.
And you know what? That’s fine. Not everyone needs to break new ground. Sometimes you just need someone to build a house on the ground that’s already been broken.
Maybe Nigella’s gift is that she freed us from both the condescension of male chefs who always get more credit for their creations and the anxiety to create the perfect dinner-home tableau the female Martha Stewart clones were pushing on us.
With Nigella, you could just relax and enjoy making something scrumptious and eating it at your messy kitchen table. Really enjoy it!
Thanks, Nigella!
71
@Agarre Or raiding the refrigerator after everyone has gone home!
14
I still use a lot of her recipes which were published by the Times in the 2000s. I treasure these snippings. Most especially her meat loaf recipe (with apple sauce, ritz crackers and bacon) and a recipe for calve's liver. I wonder if the food section would agree to re-publish some of these recipes from time to time.
23
@Bottles My favorite is the chili with cornbread toppping ... made it again and again. It's among the recipes listed in 20 best or favorite Nigella Lawson recipes. You've probably tried it, but if you haven't, please do!
7
Has the author visited the USA? It seems odd to state that pomegranates and avocados have come into their own only recently. And unless I missed it, the article omitted mention of Ms. Lawson's brief stint writing in the NY Times! I remember at that time thinking her attitudes wouldn't go over well: she didn't seem concerned about recipes or even methods rather than having fun, selling a lifestyle rather than cooking. This article gives the impression that criticism over the years of Ms. Lawson for a certain "aristocratic" insouciance was unwarranted. But whereas she is indeed no aristocrat, she comes from a very wealthy family and Wikipedia puts her net worth at 200,000,000 pounds sterling.
7
@Martin Daly You did miss it, it is mentioned in the article that she wrote for the NY Times. :)
7
Nigella is nothing short of magnificent. She wears her heart on her culinary sleeve and reminds us that good food lovingly prepared can be a form of spell casting.
34
One of the many things I miss in the Wednesday Times food section. Nigella Lawson’s recipes and her chatty British delivery of them. I still make the simple chocolate cake recipe 20 years later! As a man who ran a business on my own for years I finally hired staff and had some time to my self. I filled part of it with cooking, and appreciated her breezy way of making it all sound so simple.
25
Every Nigella recipe I have ever cooked was reliable and just terrific. My copy of Forever Summer is stained and falling apart from many years of use and the Indian dinner in Feast is unbeatable for someone who didn't grow up with curries. Always enjoyable to watch. I really like her on so many levels. A generous survivor.
41
"How to Eat" has been a great companion to my life for twenty years and is my desert island cookbook. I would still read it and dream of the recipes far from humanity with no way to cook! Lemon linguine, ditalini and butternut squash soup, sole with chanterelles. Every recipe I made from it came easily and elegantly. I love to eat as much as Nigella so failing was never an option, but it did free me from the self-consciousness the article addresses, and knowing that if I made a booboo, like with the caramel custard (in appearance) it was going to be okay.
I always refer to it for holidays and dinner parties, and enjoy "Feast" and preparing for the holidays, planning these recipes, possibly more than the holiday itself!
Congratulations to a gifted writer who made me laugh when she described chicken cutlets like 'courtesan's thighs'. Who knew her real gift was for comedy?
That said, this article covered it better than any one fan.
29
A few days ago I re-watched Parts Unknown:London. Bourdain and Lawson were unlikely friends, yet they seemed to have kindred spirits. She prepared him eggs and bread soaked in grease, and he said, "there is light and hope in the universe again, thank you." Bourdain and the show's producers presented Lawson not as a celebrity or as someone with an opinion on anything in particular, but simply as an intimate friend. Cooking not for the enjoyment of the food but for empathy and kindness. We all should be so lucky as to have friends like that.
139
@ Michael Manchester, NH
I am mildly shocked by your mentioning "eggs and bread soaked in grease". Eggs fried in pork fat are even worse than beef and vegetables boiled together, room temperature beer, and dilute English tea.
1
@Tuvw Xyz: When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. And this time you’re wrong. My Southern USA childhood heritage includes lovely breakfasts of eggs basted in bacon fat. Yum. Just the best way to have a simple egg. See, there’s room for all kinds of opinions.
81
@Cat Lover I'm from the North USA and enjoyed the same breakfast of eggs basted in bacon fat. Mom wasn't about to do 2 pans. It was delicious.
38
I've never bought into the Nigella Lawson mystique, if mystique is what it is. I find her breathless persona shallow and pretentious. I knew how to cook before she popped up as yet another tiresome celebrity pretending food is something it's not.
I guess people need unrealistic fantasies in order to cook. Why not just prepare a nice meal because food and the cooking of it gives you pleasure?
I learned how to cook wonderful dishes from masters of the culinary arts, my two Italian-American grandmothers and my mother.
If I follow anybody these days, it's eight people who exhibit joy at sharing how they create dishes you'd be thrilled to make for yourself or your family. They are: Lidia Bastianich, Ina Garten, Pati Jinich, Samin Nosrat, Jacques Pepin, Eric Ripert, Martha Stewart, and Ming Tsai.
I watched all four episodes of Nosrat's "Salt Fat Acid Heat" on Netflix, and, as a result, I recently bought her cookbook.
Lawson claims the first thing she bought for a new apartment was a dining room table, which to me was the wrong decision. The first thing I bought was a set of high-quality cookware.
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@Carmela Sanford Perhaps the choice of a dining room table is a symbol of generosity and togetherness, while the set of cookware is one of selfishness and avoidance. Can't a great cook love feeding people and not only the act of cooking? Anyway, food is many things to many people, and in my own opinion, that is exactly as it should be.
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@Carmela Sanford "Why not just prepare a nice meal because food and the cooking of it gives you pleasure? "
Having watched every episode I can find spanning Nigella's entire TV career, I would say this is precisely what she would advocate. It's hard for me to see how one could think otherwise.
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@Carmela Sanford
Agree completely with your assessment. I eschew most of the "celebrity" chefs like Lawson, and have also learned much from my own Italian grandmother and mother. In that regard, Lidia Bastianich comes closest to the style of food I grew up with and, along with Jacques Pepin, Eric Ripert and Julia Child, has informed my cooking beyond my Italian heritage. (Not so much with Martha Stewart and Ina Garten - her food is often much too salty and rich.)
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Maybe she could be our next Martha Stewart? Yes I know Martha is still with us, but I deeply miss her show and the wonderful catalog of cooking and other domestic products that she helped design and endorse (copper cookie cutters, Halloween decor), couldn't Nigella do the same? Please!
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@C. Bernard. Yeah. And Nigella's not a convicted felon, so that's a plus, too.
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@NO only because she was a woman. Look at Trump and company, they are just moving along.
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Avocadoes were not popular until How to Eat?
They surely came to the fore in the Sixties - there us mention of them as such by George Harrison's wife Patti Boyd in her memoir: she quotes his view of them as given to an Evening Standard interviewer at the time.
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@Christopher Hawtree remember she started her career in the UK...
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@bronxbee We might not have heard of guacamole but "avocado vinaigrette" was a popular dinner party starter in late '60s/1970s Britain.
I'm a feminist and I love Nigella Lawson and her approach to cooking, eating, and hosting. I always loved cooking and experimenting but her lessons were to relax and enjoy the food and guests instead of emphasizing empty perfection. Brava! and thank you
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Hmm ... A wonderful story of a woman who descends from Upstairs to Downstares or, perhaps, moves the Downstairs workspace upstairs.
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Her Chocolate Guinness Cake, always a hit. Plus How to Eat is just pleasurable to read.
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I hope we'll be reading Nigella for another twenty years!
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How to Eat is still a favourite, to read as well as to cook from. And I think Νigella Lawson epitomizes the blessing and the curse of being a beautiful woman: it brings you a lot of extra attention - that jacket photo on the original How to Eat stopped me in my tracks - but also creates anxiety. Which I suppose is why Lawson not only travels with a makeup artist but has felt unable to let herself grow old naturally, leading to that well-known waxen, artificial look we know so well from Hollywood. Too bad, really. Maybe she should stop worrying and do nothing for a while. Success can be as anxiety-making as failure!
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All I want to know is when oh when will they reissue her nested egg mixing bowls. Hanging on for dear life to the last two I’ve got.
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I was reminded of that awful husband of hers and was glad to know that she divorced him. He didn't deserve her!
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The idea that she would swan about the kitchen like some British aristocrat is ludicrous if you've ever watched her TV shows. Down to earth, simply lovely recipes, and a genuine appreciation for making food that just tastes good are her hallmarks.
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Sometimes at dinner parties, we pull out Nigella Bites, close our eyes, flip to any page and read aloud. It's like poetry!
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Nigella Lawson is beautiful, glamorous, brainy, sexy -- all the things you say. But... she inspires admiration, not jealousy.
Many years ago, I read about the loving care she gave her first husband who was dying of the kind of cancer that made eating and swallowing painful and almost impossible.
She created foods that comforted and soothed and conveyed great depth of love and compassion. Very moving.
Nigella -- that name is made for fame! -- always does right by her recipes and adoring followers.
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I met Nigella at a cookbook signing in Ridgewood NJ many moons ago.
Do believe the hype, folks.
Absolutely beautiful, and gracious, too.
I was so tongue-tied that I missed the opportunity to tell her how much i loved her kooky idea to desalinate bacalao in the toilet tank, resulting in all her friends and family thinking her mad.
Hope you read this now, Nigella.
Thank you for all the great recipes and stories.
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@CR
Her idea to "desalinate bacalao in the toilet" wasn't real, it was just another of her many desperate attempts to achieve attention without actually earning it. It's called an attention-getting gimmick and it's beloved by no one except publishers and publicists.
Lawson is no more a good cook than I am, which is why I faithfully follow Lidia Bastianich when I need to prepare a meal for friends.
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I love Nigella and loved her cooking show. I don't get the opportunity to see her much any more and wish I could. Her style of cooking is just what most of us home cooks are.
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@Laura You can find her on Youtube anytime you want her.
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@Laura
She's got a show running Create TV, a PBS offshoot/channel. I've been enjoying her newest crop of recipes!
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Ms. Lawson's cookbook, "Feast: Food to Celebrate Life" (2004), is a staple in my kitchen. Her cauliflower cheese recipe is a family favorite (very rich & cheesy, a guilty pleasure). And her chocolate cakes are divine. The recipes work, and her writing is elegant & amusing. Full marks!
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@Susan Beaver The mushroom stroganoff from Feast is a reliable vegetarian potluck dish for me. Every time I make it, no leftovers.
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I love Nigella and her recipes. She brings that "high and low" vibe to food - her undeniable beauty and glamour vs. her down home earthiness, her use of everyday ingredients to produce elevated tasty dishes, the simplicity of her recipes to produce delicious home cuisine. Keep it up, Nigella! We Americans adore you.
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I use her basic cookie recipe for all my cookies...easy and delicious.
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At 49 years of age, somehow I’m just discovering Nigella Lawson! My diet has sadly, become more limited (dairy-free and gluten-free) and it’s Nigella’s cake recipes that are working for everyone in my family (chocolate olive oil and another with almonds and rose water). Please keep developing recipes that are not noticeably GF/DF, but just tasty!
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The real challenge for all of these celebrity chefs is to create healthy diets that don't destroy our home...As in the planet. Very few of them are developed enough as people to understand this.
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ADORE Nigella Lawson! Her down to earth glamour, and unfussy, *accepting*, kind point of view are things I strive to emulate, and want more of in my life. Oh, and her recipes are great too. She is authentic.
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Her Buttermilk Roast Chicken is fabulous-easy to make and always delicious-but i can say that about most of her recipes.
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Her sheer enjoyment of cooking and eating is infectious. Good for her.
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How could you not love someone who is simultaneously so genuinely down to earth and yet so breezily cultured, informed and elegant?
Reading this piece and discovering Nigella's really been knocked about by life, which I did not know, just makes me admire her more.
Love her books, her recipes. Love her!
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I still use her cookbooks, all these years later. The page with the banana bread is stained because I've dumped so many things on it while cooking. Also the American pancakes recipe.
I also do like her personal style - she seems to have a lot of terrible things happen to her and keeps plodding on, cooking and eating. Her food is often what you want to eat after a rough day and I often find what I want to eat on those pages. All the best wishes to her.
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