I’m too old to have a girl crush but I have to admit it, I might be a little bit in love with Nigella Lawson.
I have a propensity for collecting cookery books by female writers, with Mary Berry, Delia Smith, Rachel Allen, Jane Asher and the late Linda McCartney’s works among the well-thumbed volumes I own. More recent to the collection are books by Hull’s own Great British Bake Off winner, Nancy Birtwhistle, whose recipes I enjoy and whose “clean and green” hacks are brilliant.
The fellas do get a look-in as well – Jamie Oliver, the Hairy Bikers (RIP Dave Myers), Gino D’Acampo and Phil Vickery, not forgetting Marco Pierre White, who I met a few years back for a work thing. Rather than being the formidable character I was expecting, and I was a bit nervous because of it, he was actually a delight to interview.
But the biggest portion of my cooking and baking book space is reserved for Nigella. There are loads of her recipes I have yet to try, but there are favourites I go back to time and again.
I binge-watch repeats of her TV shows when they come onto the Food Network channel, especially the Christmas episodes which are always beautifully shot and so evocative of the season. I’ve always liked her relaxed way of presenting and also her easy-to-follow recipes (her vin chaud, or “hot wine” is the best mulled wine going, incidentally).
I get inspiration from her #RecipeOfTheDay slots on X and also from the guest recipes she selflessly promotes in her #CookbookCorner. I have personal cause to admire her because she finds time for followers like me.
She is such a big name but she has not lost sight of the humble home bakers and cooks who she influences. This week Nigella even called a cake I made from one of her foolproof recipes “a beauty”.
I’ve just had a look-back down my timeline of posts on Twitter, as it then was, and discovered that it was six years ago when Nigella first messaged me personally, on New Year’s Eve no less, to help me with a recipe. With little hope of an actual response, I asked just before 7pm: “Hi @Nigella_Lawson I’m sure you have better things to do on NYE than answer tweets but, just in case, will your flourless choc cake made tomorrow be okay for Thur night? WI party and gluten-free needed. Happy 2019! “
It was a matter of moments before I got the reply: “Just about to down tools, but happy to oblige” and she included a link to her lovely chocolate cloud cake she thought the WI members might enjoy. I was touched that, even if it wasn’t Nigella herself, whoever it was took the trouble to reply and on December 31 to boot.
A section of Deborah Hall’s cookery and baking book shelves taken up by Nigella
(Image: Deborah Hall/Hull Live)
This week I decided to share a photo of Nigella’s chocolate olive oil cake, which is always a hit, on X, before it went off to a New Year party marking 100 years of that same WI branch. She responded, saying: “That’s a beauty. Congratulations and have a wonderful party!”
I said: “Love the fact that @Nigella_Lawson takes the time and trouble to respond to posts from ordinary bakers like me. Thank you, Nigella, the party was fab and your cake recipe a hit as always.”
She came back with: “It’s such a pleasure for me.” It is an exchange that has had over 8,200 views and one follower, Maureen, agreed with me, saying: “I have always thought the same. Love Nigella”.
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