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Nigella Lawson speaks on her father’s death for the first time

<p>Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson has shared an update with her social media followers, thanking them for their support following her father’s death. </p> <p>The news of his passing was covered by the BBC and <em>The Guardian </em>on April 4, naming the former conservative chancellor as “one of the most consequential of all post-war UK chancellors”. </p> <p>Nigel Lawson was 91 years old when he passed, with a political career of almost five decades to his name. He served under Margaret Thatcher during the 1980s, holding a number of different roles, before retiring to the backbench in 1992. He went on to sit in the House of Lords until his retirement, just three short months before his passing. </p> <p>Nigel is survived by six children, and it was the 63-year-old Nigella who took to Twitter to express her gratitude to her 2.7 million followers for the love and support being directed to their family in their time of grief, as well as assuring them that while she needed some time, she would return to them. </p> <p>“Thank you for all your kind messages,” she wrote. “And I’ll be back on here properly tomorrow.” </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thank you for all your kind messages. And I’ll be back on here properly tomorrow</p> <p>— Nigella Lawson (@Nigella_Lawson) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nigella_Lawson/status/1643303805151240209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>“Thinking of you, dearest girl. Your father was always kind and a consummate gentleman whenever I came across him as a journalist,” journalist Pádraig Belton wrote in response, before sharing a brief insight into his experiences with the late Nigel. </p> <p>“Been thinking of you, and Dominic and your kids today. Your dad was an interesting man,” editor Fiammetta Rocco said. “Scary, but very smart.”</p> <p>“Be well. Know that you are loved. Holding you and your family in prayer during this time of loss,” a reverend offered. </p> <p>“Don't rush yourself - give yourself enough time to process it all. Wrap yourself in the good memories &amp; cosset yourself however you choose about the not so good,” one kind supporter advised. “Take care of yourself first - we can all wait.”</p> <p>Nigella wasn’t the only notable figure to note Nigel’s death on social media, with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sharing his condolences with his own 1.9 million followers.</p> <p>"One of the first things I did as Chancellor was hang a picture of Nigel Lawson above my desk," he said.</p> <p>"He was a transformational Chancellor and an inspiration to me and many others. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">One of the first things I did as Chancellor was hang a picture of Nigel Lawson above my desk.</p> <p>He was a transformational Chancellor and an inspiration to me and many others.</p> <p>My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time. <a href="https://t.co/SPwcnoUFnQ">pic.twitter.com/SPwcnoUFnQ</a></p> <p>— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) <a href="https://twitter.com/RishiSunak/status/1642988449258160128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>And Britain’s former prime minister Boris Johnson also had something to offer, writing that Nigel “was a fearless and original flame of free market Conservatism. He was a tax-cutter and simplifier who helped transform the economic landscape and helped millions of British people achieve their dreams … He was a prophet of Brexit and a lover of continental Europe. He was a giant. </p> <p>“My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Caring

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Adoring fans in shock after learning Nigella's age

<p>Nigella Lawson is currently delighting Australian screens with her long anticipated My Kitchen rules debut.</p> <p>The iconic food writer has replaced chef Pete Evans on the 2022 season of the hit Channel 7 series and has managed to single-handedly revive the struggling franchise while it competes with its rival show, Married At First Sight on channel 9.</p> <p>Lawson published her first cookbook in 1998 and her TV show Nigella Bites ran for two years. The beloved chef turned 62 in January, leaving people everywhere stunned to learn her real age.</p> <p>One person said: "Can someone explain to me how Nigella Lawson can look so stunning ALL THE TIME? she 62yo and looks 42 What kind of witchcraft is she performing!"</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Can someone explain to me how Nigella Lawson can look so stunning ALL THE TIME?<br />she 62yo and looks 42<br />What kind of witchcraft is she performing!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MKR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MKR</a></p> <p>— VišnjaCreates (@VisnjaCreates) <a href="https://twitter.com/VisnjaCreates/status/1556596614097420288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>While another tweeted: "Nigella Lawson is 62???? As a white woman she looks very decent, even her hands don’t show her age wow"</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nigella Lawson is 62???? As a white woman she looks very decent, even her hands don’t show her age wow</p> <p>— Hi, its me. (@JeffChangx) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffChangx/status/1554596637925834752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>The mother-of-two has credited her youthful look to avoiding the sun and eating “lots of fats”. She previously told Oprah that she was “trying to go with” ageing.</p> <p>Comments continued to roll in: "I’m sorry but HOW is Nigella Lawson 62?!"</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">I’m sorry but HOW is Nigella Lawson 62?!</p> <p>— 𝕃ach⚜️ (@L_JA21) <a href="https://twitter.com/L_JA21/status/1478900970843222016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>"Nigella Lawson is 62. I refuse to accept this."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nigella Lawson is 62. I refuse to accept this. <a href="https://t.co/uJ5t88fhrO">pic.twitter.com/uJ5t88fhrO</a></p> <p>— Zoë Paramour (@ZoeParamour) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZoeParamour/status/1503459961153720325?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>It has been understood Nigella will only feature in half of the reason with former MasterChef judge Matt Preston back for the second half.</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Nigella Lawson opens up on tragic family losses

<p dir="ltr">Nigella Lawson has spoken about how losing several family members far too soon has changed her perspective on ageing and death.</p> <p dir="ltr">The celebrity chef’s latest interview with <em>New Idea</em> magazine saw her open up about the death of her mother and sister within eight years of each other and the effect it’s had.</p> <p dir="ltr">“My mother died at 48 and my sister died at 32, so to mind about getting older would be slightly odd,” the 62-year-old told the magazine.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her mother, Vanessa Salmon, died of liver cancer in 1985 and her sister, Thomasina, died in 1993 of breast cancer.</p> <p dir="ltr">Their deaths had a huge impact on Lawson, who has led a healthy lifestyle and embraced life to the fullest as a result.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-856c761c-7fff-6ce0-2930-4233846e11f8"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m much more concerned with my health and keeping mobile,” she said.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CbgdkgKIBRM/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CbgdkgKIBRM/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Nigella (@nigellalawson)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“It might sound corny, but if you’re well, then that really is the most important thing.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Lawson added that ageing is “just life” for her, and that there’s “no point in focusing on it too much” since “it’s going to happen”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Sometimes I look at my hands and think: ‘Oh my God!’ But what are you going to do? It’s just life,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lawson recently touched down in Australia for last month’s Melbourne Food &amp; Wine Festival, as rumours that she will be staying in the country as a permanent judge on MasterChef or the upcoming revival of My Kitchen Rules continue to circulate. </p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the speculation, Lawson has said little about them yet.</p> <p dir="ltr">To read Nigella Lawson’s full interview with <em>New Idea</em>, click <a href="https://www.newidea.com.au/nigella-lawson-diet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-6b2ebcb5-7fff-7fe8-5d6e-9b8f83d5e8e2"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @nigellalawson (Instagram)</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Nigella Lawson: "How my daughter taught me to be happy again"

<p>Nigella Lawson is known by many as being a domestic goddess in the kitchen, but she credits her daughter for helping her transform her life after her ex-husband grabbed her by the throat.</p> <p>Charles Saatchi, advertising millionaire, shocked the world as he grabbed his then wife by the throat in public in a busy restaurant. Just seven weeks after the incident back in 2013, their 10-year marriage was over.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7828843/nigella-lawson.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/8b57f00d49ae48ceab13b0a2e626367d" /></p> <p>However, Nigella’s confidence was shaken, and she developed a fear of being photographed or being seen in public.</p> <p>Her daughter, Cosima Diamond, 25, is credited with helping Nigella overcome her fear.</p> <p>“I have been forced to be guarded. I used to be more open and I’d like to think I will be again,” Nigella opened up to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/nigella-lawson-says-daughter-transformed-18457049" target="_blank"><em>The Mirror.</em></a></p> <p>"Cosima said to me, ‘Mum, would you rather be a real person like you or someone who has hair and make-up done to go to the supermarket? It is better to be a real person.’ She’s right.”</p> <p>Nigella also shared that her children are the biggest fans of her cooking, but they make fun of her presenting style.</p> <p>“When I am on TV, I cook the food that I cook at home but my children always tease me.</p> <p>“I do a running commentary at home of my life like I do on TV.</p> <p>“I always wanted to do the advanced driving test as when you do it you have to do a commentary like, ‘I am now moving into second gear.’ I do feel I ought to take it.”</p> <p>Nigella says that she gets a “bit nervous or a bit awkward” due to the camera being on her.</p> <p>“The thing about television is that it is both frightening and boring.</p> <p>"It is not an act, but I do think you get a bit nervous or a bit awkward when there is a camera on you,” she explained.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxKJoVMlHCA/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxKJoVMlHCA/" target="_blank">We're delighted to welcome goddess of the kitchen, Nigella Lawson, to the Masterchef kitchen next week! 👩🍳 🥘 🥗 ❤ #MasterChefAU</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/masterchefau/" target="_blank"> MasterChef Australia</a> (@masterchefau) on May 7, 2019 at 3:51am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Nigella went into detail about her success in Australia, following her appearances on the Australian version of <em>MasterChef</em>.</p> <p>“I do like it as I like the people there. The programme has been going for 11 years,” she said.</p> <p>“They are very funny, Australians. I don’t go to America a great deal. I did for book tours, but America is a very greedy monster.</p> <p>“All they ever want to know is, ‘What are you going to do next?’ and ‘How much more are you going to do?’</p> <p>Nigella says that the pressure isn’t something that she wants for her life.</p> <p>“It is not what I want to do. If I wanted to go and work non-stop and do that I would go there.</p> <p>"I like lying about and reading books and drinking tea as well, so I don’t want a life which just becomes about making television programmes.”</p>

Mind

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Nigella Lawson: "How I healed after heartbreak"

<p>Nigella Lawson has forged out a career as one of the world’s most popular celebrity chefs, but most people don’t realise that she’s encountered more than her fair share of heartbreak.</p> <p>In an <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>interview with Now to Love</strong></em></span></a>, the celebrity chef explained how her culinary pursuits had helped her deal with the passing of her sister Thomasina, who died tragically young at 31 from breast cancer in 1993.</p> <p>"I like cooking with people who know me well and know my kitchen well," she explains.</p> <p>"I used to love cooking with my sister, Thomasina. I loved cooking for her and with her and just talking to her while I cooked."</p> <p>"I have a very good friend and we sometimes cook together. It's a lovely thing to do," she says.</p> <p>"I also think it's a wonderful way of talking with people generally. A lot of people are more comfortable talking when your attention is a bit elsewhere.</p> <p>"It's rather like the way people sometimes feel they have important conversations while they're driving. People are more relaxed when you haven't got full-beam on them. So I quite like chatting while I cook. The other person doesn't need to be cooking with me. Sometimes they can just be there, having a glass of wine while I'm chopping and stirring and unwinding. I like that."</p> <p>Nigella’s first husband, journalist John Diamond, was also taken by cancer before his time.</p> <p>"I don't want to waste life," she says.</p> <p>"It feels so ungrateful not to take pleasure. You have to take pleasure in life while you can because people have that ripped away from them."</p> <p>"One of the reasons I like cooking is that it forces me into the moment, and that's good," she adds.</p> <p>What are your thoughts?</p>

Body

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Nigella Lawson angers Italians with her controversial recipe

<p>Beloved British chef Nigella Lawson has come under fire for her new recipe for carbonara.</p> <p>After she shared her carbonara recipe on her Facebook page, Italians flocked to her page to express their disgust at the recipe.</p> <p>She’s been told that her cookery is a "disgrace" and she may as well "make it with turkey twizzlers" after posting the “controversial” recipe which contains nutmeg, wine and cream.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNigellaLawson%2Fposts%2F10155401156762480%3A0&amp;width=500" width="500" height="696" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></p> <p>Ms Lawson wrote: "I think spaghetti carbonara is what Meryl Streep cooks for Jack Nicholson in the film version of one of my favourite books, ‘Heartburn’, and it is so right, for that chin-dripping, love-soaked primal feast, the first time someone actually stays through the night."</p> <p>But people were not impressed with one Italian fuming: “Nigella you are a wonderful woman but your recipes are the DEATH of Italian recipes, literally! NO CREAM IN CARBONARA NEVER, only eggs.”</p> <p>Another Italian commented: "This is a recipe of yours, it's not Carbonara. No wine, no cream and egg yolks only in Italian real Carbonara.”</p> <p>Someone else said while the recipe was delicious, it was not carbonara: "It is dee-licious, really. Heavy but heavenly tasting. But it is not Carbonara. Using a name of a well-known recipe, adjusting the original ingredients to one's own taste and even adding others just creates confusion and wrong taste expectations. Yes, we take food very seriously."<strong><br /></strong></p> <p><strong><a href="https://www.nigella.com/recipes/spaghetti-alla-carbonara" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Nigella's Carbonara recipe</span></a></strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></p> <ul> <li class="listBackground">500 grams spaghetti</li> <li class="listBackground">275 grams cubed pancetta (or lardons)</li> <li class="listBackground">2 teaspoons olive oil</li> <li class="listBackground">60 millilitres dry white wine (or vermouth)</li> <li class="listBackground">4 large eggs</li> <li class="listBackground">50 grams parmesan cheese (freshly grated)</li> <li class="listBackground">black pepper</li> <li class="listBackground">60 millilitres double cream</li> <li class="listBackground">freshly grated nutmeg</li> </ul> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></p> <p>1. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil for the pasta. Cut the pancetta into 1 x 1.5cm / ½ x ¼ inch cubes. If the pancetta has its rind on, cut it off - and use a bigger piece of pancetta, as the amount I've specified is for the prepared cubes - and put the rind in a pan with a film of oil and cook it gently to render down.</p> <p>2. Then in a large pan that will fit the pasta later, cook the pancetta cubes in the oil until crispy but not crunchy. Chuck over them the white wine or vermouth and let it bubble away so that, after a few minutes, you have a small amount of salty winey syrup left. Take the pan off the heat.</p> <p>3. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, Parmesan, cream and some pepper. Cook the pasta more or less according to the packet instructions, but since you want it kept al dente start checking it 2 minutes before the wrapper says it's done. Lower in a cup and remove approximately 125ml / ½ cup of the pasta water before draining. Put the other pan, the one with the bacon cubes, on the heat and add the drained pasta, tossing well to coat with the syrupy pancetta. Add a little of the reserved pasta water to lubricate if necessary.</p> <p>4. Take the pan off the heat again and add the eggs and cheese mixture, swiftly tossing everything to mix. Grind over some more pepper and grate over the nutmeg, carry proudly aloft, and dive in.</p> <p>What do you think of the controversy? Share your opinion with us in the comments below.</p> <p> </p>

Food & Wine