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Nigella Lucy Lawson (born 6 January 1960) is an English food writer and television cook. After graduating from Oxford, Lawson worked as a book reviewer and restaurant critic, later becoming the deputy literary editor of ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' in 1986. She then wrote for a number of newspapers and magazines as a freelance journalist. In 1998, her first cookery book, ''
How to Eat ''How to Eat'' is a 1998 book of English cuisine by the celebrity cook Nigella Lawson.Jones, ChrisNigella Lawson: A sweet and sour life BBC News, 18 May 2001; retrieved 29 September 2007. It features culinary tips on preparation and saving time, ...
'', was published and sold 300,000 copies, becoming a best-seller. Her second book, ''How to Be a Domestic Goddess'', was published in 2000, winning the British Book Award for Author of the Year. In 1999, Lawson hosted her own cooking show series, ''Nigella Bites'', on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
, accompanied by another best-selling cookbook. ''Nigella Bites'' won Lawson a Guild of Food Writers Award. Her 2005 ITV daytime chat show ''Nigella'' met with a negative critical reaction and was cancelled after attracting low ratings. She hosted the
Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...
's ''Nigella Feasts'' in the United States in 2006, followed by a three-part
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
series, ''Nigella's Christmas Kitchen'', in the UK, which led to the commissioning of ''Nigella Express'' on
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
in 2007. Her own
cookware Cookware and bakeware is food preparation equipment, such as cooking pots, pans, baking sheets etc. used in kitchens. Cookware is used on a stove or range cooktop, while bakeware is used in an oven. Some utensils are considered both cookwar ...
range, Living Kitchen, has a value of £7 million, and she has sold more than 8 million cookery books worldwide to date.


Early life

Nigella Lawson was born in 1960 in
Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...
, London, one of the daughters of Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby (1932–2023),Farndale, Nigel
"A woman of extremes"
''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', 14 May 2001. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
a business and finance journalist who later became a
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
MP and
Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...
in
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
's government, and his first wife, Vanessa Salmon (1936–1985),Peterson, Thane
Chewing the Fat with Nigella Lawson
. ''Bloomberg BusinessWeek'', 19 October 2002. Retrieved 29 September 2007
a socialite and the heiress to the
J. Lyons and Co. J, or j, is the tenth letter of the English alphabet. J may also refer to: * Palatal approximant in the International Phonetic Alphabet * J, Cyrillic letter Je Astronomy * J, a provisional designation prefix for some objects discovered be ...
fortune.Bilmes, Alex
Say what you like about Nigella Lawson
. '' Q'', 2001. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
Both her parents were from
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish families. Her given name was originally suggested by her grandmother. Her family owned homes in
Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
and Chelsea. Nigel and Vanessa Lawson divorced in 1980, when Nigella was 20. They both remarried: her father that year to a
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
researcher, Therese Maclear (to whom he was married until 2008), and her mother, in the early 1980s, to philosopher
A. J. Ayer Sir Alfred Jules "Freddie" Ayer ( ; 29 October 1910 – 27 June 1989) was an English philosopher known for his promotion of logical positivism, particularly in his books '' Language, Truth, and Logic'' (1936) and ''The Problem of Knowledge'' (1 ...
(they remained married until her mother's death). As her father was at the time a prominent political figure, Nigella found some of the judgements and preconceptions that were formed about her frustrating. She has attributed her unhappiness as a child, in part, to the problematic relationship she had with her mother. Lawson's mother died of
liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...
in
Westminster, London Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
at the age of 48. Lawson's full-blood siblings are her brother,
Dominic Dominic, Dominik or Dominick is a male given name common among Roman Catholics and other Latin-Romans. Originally from the late Roman-Italic name "Dominicus", its translation means "Lordly", "Belonging to God" or "of the Master". The most promi ...
, former editor of ''
The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Tele ...
'', sister Horatia, and sister Thomasina, who died of breast cancer, in her early thirties, in 1993. She has a half-brother, Tom, who is currently headmaster at
Eastbourne College Eastbourne College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition, for boarding school, boarding and Day school, day pupils aged 13–18, in ...
, and a half-sister, Emily; Tom and Emily are her father's children by his second wife. Lawson is a cousin to both
George Monbiot George Joshua Richard Monbiot ( ; born 27 January 1963) is an English journalist, author, and Environmental movement, environmental and political activist. He writes a regular column for ''The Guardian'' and has written several books. Monbiot ...
and Fiona Shackleton through the Salmon family.


Ancestry

Taking part in the third series of the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
family-history documentary series '' Who Do You Think You Are?'', Lawson sought to uncover some of her family's ancestry. She traced her ancestors to
Ashkenazi Jews Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language ...
who originate from eastern Europe and Germany, leaving Lawson surprised not to have
Sephardi Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
ancestry, as she had believed.Nigella Lawson
. ''
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
Who Do You Think You Are?'', 26 September 2006. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
She also uncovered that her maternal great-great-great-grandfather, Coenraad Sammes (later Coleman Joseph), had fled to England from
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
in 1830 to escape a prison sentence following a conviction for theft.Williams, Andrew
60 Seconds: Nigella Lawson
''
Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...
'', 5 December 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2007.
His daughter Hannah married Samuel Gluckstein, who was in business with Barnett Salmon of Salmon & Gluckstein. They had several children, including
Isidore Isidore ( ; also spelled Isador, Isadore and Isidor) is a masculine given name. The name is derived from the Greek name ''Isídōros'' (Ἰσίδωρος, latinized ''Isidorus'') and can literally be translated to 'gift of Isis'. The name has survi ...
and Montague Gluckstein, who together with Salmon founded J. Lyons and Co. in 1887,Origin of the Company
. ''
J. Lyons and Co. J, or j, is the tenth letter of the English alphabet. J may also refer to: * Palatal approximant in the International Phonetic Alphabet * J, Cyrillic letter Je Astronomy * J, a provisional designation prefix for some objects discovered be ...
''. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
and Helena, who married him. One of the children of Helena and Barnett Salmon was Alfred Salmon (1868–1928), the great-grandfather of Nigella Lawson.


Education

Lawson spent some of her childhood in the Welsh village of Higher Kinnerton. She had to move schools nine times between the ages of 9 and 18; consequently, she described her school years as difficult. "I was just difficult, disruptive, good at school work, but rude, I suspect, and too highly-strung", Lawson reflected.Jones, Chris
Nigella Lawson: A sweet and sour life
.
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
, 18 May 2001. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
She was educated at several independent schools, among them
Ibstock Place School Ibstock Place School is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private co-educational day school for pupils aged 4–18 located in Roehampton, southwest London. It was founded as the Froebel Demonstration School due to its affiliation with t ...
,
Queen's Gate School Queen's Gate School is a private day school for girls aged 4–18 in Queen's Gate, South Kensington, London, England. The '' Good Schools Guide'' described it as a "Charming popular school, with a mixed intake, which does jolly well by its gi ...
and
Godolphin and Latymer School The Godolphin and Latymer School is a private day school for girls in Hammersmith, West London. The school motto is an ancient Cornish phrase, ''Francha Leale Toge'', which translates as "free and loyal art thou". The school crest includes a ...
. She worked for many department stores in London,What's sauce for the goose is sauce for a tasty empire
. ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'', 24 December 2006. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
and went on to graduate from
Lady Margaret Hall Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The college is more formally known under ...
at the
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
with a second-class degree in
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
and
modern languages A modern language is any human language that is currently in use as a native language. The term is used in language education to distinguish between languages which are used for day-to-day communication (such as French and German) and dead clas ...
. She lived in
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
, Italy, for a time.Lane, Harriet
"An angel at our table"
. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 17 December 2000. Retrieved 29 September 2007.


Career


Early work

Lawson originally worked in publishing, first taking a job under publisher
Naim Attallah Naim Ibrahim Attallah (, 1 May 1931 – 2 February 2021) was a Palestinian-British businessman and writer. He was the publisher of Quartet Books and the owner of The Women's Press. The Palestinian-born entrepreneur was described by ''The Guard ...
. At 23, she began her career in journalism after Charles Moore had invited her to write for ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
'' – her father had previously been editor at the same publication, and her older brother soon would take up the same role. Her initial work at the magazine consisted of writing book reviews,Hirschberg, Lynn
Hot Dish
. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', 18 November 2001. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
after which she became a restaurant critic there in 1985. She became the deputy literary editor of ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' in 1986, aged 26. She attracted publicity in 1989 when she admitted voting for Labour in an election, not her father's Conservative Party, and then criticised Margaret Thatcher in print. Regarding her political relationship with her father, Lawson has stated, "My father would never expect me to agree with him about anything in particular and, to be honest, we never talk about politics much."Ellis, James
Nigella Lawson
. ''
Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...
'', 4 September 2002. Retrieved 3 October 2007.
After ''The Sunday Times'', she embarked upon a freelance writing career, realising that "I was on the wrong ladder. I didn't want to be an executive, being paid to worry rather than think". In the United Kingdom, she wrote for ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', the ''
Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
'', ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' and ''
The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'', and penned a food column for ''
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...
''Byrne, Ciar and Morris, Soppie
Inside Story: Celebrity chefs
. ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', 4 July 2005. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
and a make-up column for ''
The Times Magazine ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fo ...
'', as well as working with ''
Gourmet Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by their high level of refined and elaborate food preparation techniques and displays of balanced meals that have ...
'' and ''
Bon Appétit ''Bon Appétit'' is a monthly American food and entertaining magazine, that typically contains recipes, entertaining ideas, restaurant recommendations, and wine reviews. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered at the One World Trade Center ...
'' in the United States.Nigella Lawson biography
.
Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...
. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
In 1995 Lawson left a two-week stint at
Talk Radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...
early after making a statement that her shopping was done for her, apparently due to its incompatibility with the radio station's desired "common touch". In the mid-1990s she occasionally hosted TV press-reviews slot '' What the Papers Say'', and was co-host, with
David Aaronovitch David Morris Aaronovitch (born 8 July 1954) is an English journalist, television presenter and author. He was a regular columnist for ''The Times'' and the author of ''Paddling to Jerusalem: An Aquatic Tour of Our Small Country'' (2000), ''Voodo ...
, of Channel 4 literary-discussion series ''Booked''. In 1998 she repeatedly guested on Channel 4 cookery series ''Nigel Slater's Real-Food Show''.


1998–2002: First cookery books and ''Nigella Bites''

Lawson had an established sense of cooking from her childhood, having had a mother who enjoyed cooking. She conceived the idea of writing a cookbook after she observed a dinner party host in tears because of an unset
crème caramel Crème caramel (), flan, caramel pudding, condensed milk pudding, or caramel custard is a custard dessert with a layer of clear caramel sauce. History Custard has a long documented history, but crème caramel or flan in its modern form, with sof ...
.Dolce, Jo
England's It Girl
, ''
Gourmet Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by their high level of refined and elaborate food preparation techniques and displays of balanced meals that have ...
'', 2001. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
''
How to Eat ''How to Eat'' is a 1998 book of English cuisine by the celebrity cook Nigella Lawson.Jones, ChrisNigella Lawson: A sweet and sour life BBC News, 18 May 2001; retrieved 29 September 2007. It features culinary tips on preparation and saving time, ...
'' (1998), featuring culinary tips on preparation and saving time, sold 300,000 copies in the UK. ''
The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Tele ...
'' dubbed it "the most valuable culinary guide published this decade". Its successor, ''How to be a Domestic Goddess'' (2000), focuses primarily on baking. ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' wrote of the book that it "is defined by its intimate, companionable approach. She is not issuing matronly instructions like
Delia DeliaDella as a diminutive is a feminine given name either taken from an epithet of the Greek moon goddess Artemis, or else representing a short form of '' Adelia'', '' Bedelia'', '' Cordelia'' or '' Odelia''. Meanings and origins According to ...
; she is merely making sisterly suggestions". Lawson rejected feminist criticism of her book, adding that " me people did take the domestic goddess title literally rather than ironically. It was about the pleasures of feeling like one rather than actually being one." The book sold 180,000 copies in four months, and won Lawson the title of Author of the Year at the
British Book Awards The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by ''The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the Na ...
in 2001, fending off competition from authors such as
J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( ; born 31 July 1965), known by her pen name , is a British author and philanthropist. She is the author of ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume fantasy novel series published from 1997 to 2007. The series has List of best-sell ...
. ''How to Eat'' and ''How to be a Domestic Goddess'' were published in the U.S. in 2000 and 2001.Hesser, Amanda
"Culinary Critique; Sex and the Kitchen"
. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', 9 January 2002. Retrieved 2 February 2008.
As a result of the book's success, ''The Observer'' took her on as a social affairs columnist. Lawson next hosted her own cooking show television series, ''Nigella Bites'', which ran from 1999 to 2001 on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
, followed by a Christmas special in 2001.
Victor Lewis-Smith Victor Lewis-Smith (12 May 1957 – 10 December 2022) was a British film, television and radio producer, a television and restaurant critic, a satirist and newspaper columnist. He was executive producer of the ITV1 Annual National Food & Drink ...
, a critic usually known for his biting comments, praised Lawson for being "formidably charismatic". The first series of ''Nigella Bites'' averaged 1.9 million viewers, and won her the Television Broadcast of the Year at the Guild of Food Writers Awards and the Best Television Food Show at the World Food Media Awards in 2001. The show yielded an accompanying best-selling recipe book, also called ''Nigella Bites'', for which
Waterstone's Waterstones Booksellers Limited, trading as Waterstones (formerly Waterstone's), is a British bookselling, book retailer based in London, England, owned by the American investment group Elliott Investment Management. It operates 311 shops, ma ...
book stores reported UK sales of over 300,000.Jones, Sam
Nigella tops book list
. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 12 December 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
The book won the
WH Smith WH Smith plc, trading as WHSmith (also written WH Smith and formerly as W. H. Smith & Son), is a British retailer, with headquarters in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of railway station, airport, port, hospital and motorway service st ...
Lifestyle Book of the Year award. The ''Nigella Bites'' series, which was filmed in her home in west London, was later broadcast on American television channels E!Deans, Jason
Nigella gets cooking in America
. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 9 August 2001. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
and
Style Network Esquire Network was an American pay television network that was a 50/50 joint venture between NBCUniversal and the Hearst Corporation. Launched on October 1, 1998 as Style Network, a spin-off of E!, the channel initially consisted of fashion, ...
. Lawson said of the US release, "In the UK, my viewers have responded to the fact I'm trying to reduce, not add to, their burden and I'm looking forward to making that connection with Style viewers across the US". Overall, Lawson was well received in the United States. Those who did criticise her often suggested she was too flirtatious; a commentator from ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' said, "Lawson's sexy roundness mixed with her speed-demon technique makes cooking dinner with Nigella look like a prelude to an orgy". The book of ''Nigella Bites'' became the second best-selling cook book of Christmas 2002 in America.Chittenden, Maurice
Nigella dishes up her goddess diplomacy
. ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'', 16 November 2003. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
The series was followed by ''Forever Summer with Nigella'' in 2002 on Channel 4, the concept being, "that you cook to make you still feel as though you're on holiday". Fellow food writer
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Hugh Christopher Edmund Fearnley-Whittingstall (born 14 January 1965) is an English celebrity chef, television personality, journalist, food writer, and campaigner on food and environmental issues. Fearnley-Whittingstall hosted the '' River ...
condemned the concept as "cynical and reckless" and referred to the book as "Fuck
Seasonality In time series data, seasonality refers to the trends that occur at specific regular intervals less than a year, such as weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Seasonality may be caused by various factors, such as weather, vacation, and holidays and consi ...
". In 2002 Lawson also began to write a fortnightly cooking article for ''The New York Times'', and brought out a profitable line of kitchenware, called the Living Kitchen range, which is sold by numerous retailers. Her range's value has continued to grow, starting at an estimated £2 million in 2003.


2003–2006: ''Nigella Feasts'' and BBC contract

In November 2003, Lawson oversaw the menu and preparations for a lunch hosted by
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
at
Downing Street Downing Street is a gated street in City of Westminster, Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In a cul-de-sac situated off Whiteh ...
for
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
and his wife during their state visit to the UK. Former
First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...
,
Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (née Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American educator who was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as the wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Bush was previously the fir ...
, is said to be a fan of Lawson's recipes and once included one of her soups as the starter for the 2002 presidential Christmas dinner. Lawson's fifth book, ''Feast: Food that Celebrates Life'', released in 2004, made sales worth £3 million. London's ''
Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
'' wrote that the book "works both as a practical manual and an engrossing read. ... Nobody else writes so openly about the emotional significance of food." Lawson appeared frequently on American television in 2004, conducting cookery slots on talk shows such as ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...
''. In the UK in 2005, Lawson started to host a daytime television chat show on
ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the ITV (TV network), Channel 3 ...
called ''Nigella'', on which celebrity guests joined her in a studio kitchen. The first episode debuted with a disappointing 800,000 viewers. The show was met with a largely negative critical reaction, and after losing 40% of its viewers in the first week, the show was cancelled.Busfield, Steve
Nigella joins the BBC
. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 7 September 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2007.
She later commented to ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'' that on her first show, she was almost too frightened to come out of her dressing room. Lawson added that having to pretend to be interested in the lives of the celebrities on her show became too much of an effort. Her third food-based television series, called ''Nigella Feasts'', debuted on the
Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...
in the United States in Autumn 2006 for a 13-week run. ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine wrote a favourable review of the show; "the real appeal of ''Feasts'' ... is her unfussy, wry, practical approach to entertaining and quality comfort food. ''Feasts'' will leave you wishing for an invite". Lawson was next signed to
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
to host a three-part cookery show entitled ''Nigella's Christmas Kitchen'', which began on 6 December 2006 and aired weekly. The first two episodes secured the second highest ratings of the week for BBC Two, with the first episode debuting with a strong 3.5 million.Weekly Viewing Summary (w.e 10/12/06 – 24/12/06)
. ''
Broadcasters' Audience Research Board Barb Audiences Ltd (formerly Broadcasters Audience Research Board) is a British organisation that compiles audience measurement and television ratings in the United Kingdom. It was created in 1981 to replace two previous systems whereby ITV (T ...
''. Retrieved 21 December 2006.
The final episode went on to become the top show on BBC Two the week that it was aired. ''Nigella's Christmas Kitchen'' won Lawson a second World Food Media Award in 2007. Her influence as a food commentator was also demonstrated in late 2006, when after she had lauded goose fat as being an essential ingredient for Christmas, sales of the product increased significantly in the UK.
Waitrose Waitrose Limited, trading as Waitrose & Partners, is a British supermarket chain, founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, later shortened to Waitrose. In 1937, it was acquired by the John Lewis Partnership, the UK's largest employee-owned b ...
and
Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...
both stated that goose fat sales had more than doubled, as well as
Asda Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol station chain. Its headquarters is in Leeds, England. The company was incorporated as Associated Dairies and Farm Stores in 1949. It expanded ...
's increasing by 65% from the previous week. Similarly, after she advised using
prune A prune is a dried plum, most commonly from the European plum (''Prunus domestica'') tree. Not all plum species or varieties can be dried into prunes. Use of the term ''prune'' for fresh plums is obsolete except when applied to varieties of ...
s in a recipe on ''Nigella's Christmas Kitchen'', Waitrose had increased sales of 30% year on year.


2007–2009: ''Nigella Express'' and ''Nigella's Christmas''

''Nigella's Christmas Kitchen'' led to the commissioning of a 13-part cookery series about fast food entitled ''Nigella Express''. She said, "The recipes aren't particularly healthy. That said, I wouldn't describe them as junk." The show became another ratings success and one of BBC Two's top-rated shows each week.Weekly Viewing Summary (w.e 9 September 2007 – 16 December 2007)
, ''
Broadcasters' Audience Research Board Barb Audiences Ltd (formerly Broadcasters Audience Research Board) is a British organisation that compiles audience measurement and television ratings in the United Kingdom. It was created in 1981 to replace two previous systems whereby ITV (T ...
''. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
The first episode debuted with 2.85 million viewers, a high percentage above the channel's slot average. The second episode's viewing figures rose to 3.3 million, and the series peaked at 3.4 million on 22 October 2007. Her influence with the public was again demonstrated when sales of
Riesling Riesling ( , ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling ...
wine increased by 30% in the UK after she had incorporated it into her Coq au Riesling recipe on ''Nigella Express''. In December 2007 she appeared on BBC's ''
The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton ...
'' and said that she had once eaten 30 pickled eggs for a £1,000 bet. Lawson was criticised by some viewers who complained that she had gained weight since the debut episode of the series. ''The Guardian'', however, noted, "the food matches her appearance – flawless, polished and sexy".Levy, Paul
Take the rough with the smooth
. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 16 September 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
The rights to ''Nigella Express'' were sold to Discovery Asia. The series was nominated at the
35th Daytime Emmy Awards The 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were held on Friday, June 20, 2008 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, and were televised in the United States on ABC. , this was the last Daytime Emmys telecast to air on ABC. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards we ...
in the United States for Outstanding Lifestyle Program, and Lawson herself for the Outstanding Lifestyle Host. The accompanying book to ''Nigella Express'' was released in the UK in September 2007, US in November 2007, and in Australia in 2008. Sharing the same name as the television series, the book became another best-seller in the UK, and was outselling television chef
Jamie Oliver Jamie Trevor Oliver Order of the Star of Italy, OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English celebrity chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and o ...
by 100,000 copies, according to Waterstone's. It was reported that over 490,000 copies had been sold by mid-December in the UK. Furthermore, the book was number one for a period on Amazon UK's best-selling books, and was ninth on their overall list of Christmas best-sellers in any category. Paul Levy of ''The Guardian'' wrote that the tone of the recipes was "just right. One of the appealing things about Nigella's brief introductions to each of them is that she thinks not just as cook, but as eater, and tells you whether they're messy, sticky or fussy." In January 2008, Lawson was estimated to have sold more than 3 million books worldwide. Her Christmas book was released in October 2008 and the television show in December of the same year.


2010–2014: ''Nigellissima'' and ''The Taste''

Lawson was featured as one of the three judges on a special battle of ''
Iron Chef America ''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, wh ...
'', titled "The Super Chef Battle", which pitted
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
Executive Chef
Cristeta Comerford Cristeta Pasia Comerford (née Gomez Pasia; born October 27, 1962) is a Filipino-American chef who served as the White House executive chef from 2005 until her retirement in 2024. She is the first woman and first person of Asian origin to hold t ...
and Iron Chef
Bobby Flay Robert William "Bobby" Flay (born December 10, 1964) is an American celebrity chef, food writer, restaurateur, and Television presenter, television personality. Flay is the owner and Chef de cuisine, executive chef of several restaurants and fr ...
against chef
Emeril Lagasse Emeril John Lagasse III ( ; born October 15, 1959) is an American chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookbook author, and National Best Recipe award winner for his "Turkey and Hot Sausage Chili" recipe in 2003. He is a regional James ...
and Iron Chef
Mario Batali Mario Francesco Batali (born September 19, 1960) is an American chef, writer, and former restaurateur. Batali co-owned restaurants in New York City; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Newport Beach, California; Boston; Singapore; Westport, Connecticut; and ...
. This episode was originally broadcast on 3 January 2010. Lawson's cookbook ''Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home'' (2010) is a tie-in with the TV series "Nigella Kitchen". This was shown in the UK and on the Food Network in the United States. ''Nigellissima: Instant Italian Inspiration'' was released in 2012. The 8-part TV series entitled ''Nigellissima'' was broadcast by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
. Lawson obtained work experience in Italy during her
gap year A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is a period of time when students take a break from their studies, usually after completing high school or before beginning graduate school. During this time, students engage in a variety of educatio ...
. She travelled to the United States in 2013 and starred alongside
Anthony Bourdain Anthony Michael Bourdain ( ; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author and Travel documentary, travel documentarian. He starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the huma ...
in the reality cooking show '' The Taste''. The UK version of the show began airing on 7 January 2014 on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
. Lawson was granted a visa to travel to the United States and travelled there for a continuation of the series. In 2014, Lawson was hired by a chocolate company to appear in an advertisement, the advertisement was filmed in New Zealand in May for a local confection manufacturer Whittaker's.


2015–present: ''Simply Nigella'', ''Eurovision and'' ''Australian Television''

The UK and US series of ''The Taste'' were both completed and in autumn 2015 Lawson began ''Simply Nigella'' for BBC 2. The focus was on
comfort food Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone and may be characterized by its high caloric nature associated with childhood or home cooking. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual or it may apply to a ...
, familiar dishes that are simple and quick to cook. Lawson was spokesperson for the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, giving the twelve points to Sweden's
Måns Zelmerlöw Måns Petter Albert Sahlén Zelmerlöw (; born 13 June 1986) is a Swedish singer and television presenter. He took part in ''Idol 2005'', eventually finishing fifth, won the Let's Dance 2006, first season of ''Let's Dance (Swedish TV series), Le ...
and his song "
Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
", which went on to win the contest. It was reported on 18 January 2016, that Lawson would make a return to Australian television, joining the eighth series of ''
MasterChef Australia ''MasterChef Australia'' is an Australian competitive cooking reality show based on the original British ''MasterChef (British TV series), MasterChef''. It is produced by Endemol Shine Australia and screens on Network 10. Restaurateur and ch ...
'' as a guest judge, alongside the returning judges. She returned to the show for the tenth series in 2018 and eleventh series in 2019. In 2022, it was announced that Lawson would be returning to Australian television as a judge on the twelfth season of
7 Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
's ''
My Kitchen Rules ''My Kitchen Rules'' (often abbreviated as ''MKR'') is an Australian competitive cooking game show broadcast on the Seven Network since 2010. The show is currently hosted and judged by chefs Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge, with Feildel being ...
.'' Lawson co-hosted and judged the first six episodes of the season alongside long term judge
Manu Feildel Emmanuel Feildel (born 26 March 1974) is a French-Australian chef, restaurateur and television presenter trained in England, who is best known as one of the judges of the competitive television cooking show ''My Kitchen Rules''. Manu achieve ...
before leaving the series after the first round of instant restaurants. In 2023, it was announced that Lawson would be returning to the show for its thirteenth season as a judge in Kitchen HQ alongside fellow returning judges Manu Feildel and
Colin Fassnidge Colin Fassnidge is an Irish chef, author and television presenter. Fassnidge has appeared as a judge on ''My Kitchen Rules'' since 2013 and is also a presenter on the home lifestyle program '' Better Homes and Gardens,'' presenting the food segme ...
.


Presenting style and image

Though Lawson has enjoyed a successful career in cookery, she is not a trained chef,Cooney, Beth
British sensation Lawson says cooking should be about fun, family
''
The Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Oakland, California, and a predecessor of the ''East Bay Times''. It was published by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' ro ...
'', 4 June 2003. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
and does not like being referred to as a "celebrity chef". Nor does she see herself as a cook or an expert in her field; nonetheless, she is frequently described as a chef. Throughout Lawson's television programmes, she emphasises that she cooks for her own pleasure, for enjoyment, and that she finds cooking therapeutic. When deciding upon which recipes to feature in her books, she takes the view of the eater, stating, "If it's something I don't want to carry on eating once I'm full, then I don't want the recipe ... I have to feel that I want to cook the thing again." Lawson has adopted a casual approach to cooking, stating, "I think cooking should be about fun and family. ... I think part of my appeal is that my approach to cooking is really relaxed and not rigid. There are no rules in my kitchen." One editor, highlighting the technical simplicity of Lawson's recipes, noted that "her dishes require none of the elaborate preparation called for by most TV chefs". Lawson has become renowned for her flirtatious manner of presenting, although she argues "It's not meant to be flirtatious. ... I don't have the talent to adopt a different persona. It's intimate, not flirtatious". The perceived overt sexuality of her presentation style has led to Lawson being called the "queen of
food porn Food porn (or foodporn) is a glamourized visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, blogs, cooking shows, and other visual media. Its origins come from a restaurant review e-commerce platform called Foodporn. Food ...
". Many commentators have alluded to Lawson's attractiveness, and she was once named as one of the world's most beautiful women. The media have also noted Lawson's ability to engage with both male and female viewers; ''The Guardian'' wrote, "Men love her because they want to be with her. Women love her because they want to be her." Chef
Gary Rhodes Gary Rhodes (22 April 1960 – 26 November 2019) was an English restaurateur and television chef, known for his love of English cuisine and ingredients and for his distinctive spiked hair style. He fronted shows such as ''MasterChef'', '' Mas ...
said that viewers were attracted to her smile rather than her cooking. Despite often being labelled as a "domestic goddess", she said that she exhibits very few of the qualities associated with the title.


Personal life


First marriage and children

Lawson met journalist John Diamond in 1986, when they were both writing for ''The Sunday Times''. They married in
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
in 1992, and had a daughter, Cosima, and a son, Bruno. Diamond was diagnosed with
throat cancer Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...
in 1997 and died in March 2001, aged 47. One of his last messages to Lawson was, "How proud I am of you and what you have become. The great thing about us is that we have made us who we are." His death occurred during the filming of ''Nigella Bites''; "I took a fortnight off. But I'm not a great believer in breaks", Lawson said; she suffered a bout of depression following the funeral. After Diamond's death, Lawson kept all of the related press clippings in what she called her "Morbidobox".


Second marriage

Lawson married art collector
Charles Saatchi Charles Saatchi ( ; ; born 9 June 1943) is an Iraqi-British businessman and the co-founder, with his brother Maurice, of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. The brothers led the business – the world's largest advertising agency in the 19 ...
in September 2003. In June 2013, photographs were published by ''
The Sunday People The ''Sunday People'' is a British tabloid Sunday newspaper. It was founded as ''The People'' on 16 October 1881. At one point owned by Odhams Press, The ''People'' was acquired along with Odhams by the Mirror Group in 1961, along with the ' ...
'' of Lawson being grabbed around the neck by Saatchi, during an argument outside a London seafood restaurant. According to a witness, Lawson was very distressed by the incident. Saatchi later described the pictures as showing only a "playful tiff" and his trying to emphasise a point. After a police investigation of the incident, Saatchi was cautioned for assault, and Lawson left the family home. Lawson said in court Saatchi subjected her to "intimate terrorism", that he threatened to destroy her unless she cleared him in court. Subsequently, while giving evidence, Lawson claimed casual cruelty and
controlling behaviour Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controlling ...
by Saatchi made her unhappy and drove her to occasional drug use. She cited an example that Saatchi prevented her entertaining at home and punished her for going to a birthday party of a woman friend. She was not beaten but was left emotionally scarred. Saatchi announced his divorce from Lawson in early July, stating that he had "clearly been a disappointment to Nigella during the last year or so" and the couple had "become estranged and drifted apart". Lawson made no public comment in response; however, court papers showed that it was Lawson who applied for divorce, citing ongoing unreasonable behaviour. On 31 July 2013, seven weeks after the incident, the pair were granted a
decree nisi A decree nisi or rule nisi () is a court order that will come into force at a future date unless a particular condition is met. Unless the condition is met, the ruling becomes a decree absolute (rule absolute), and is binding. Typically, the con ...
, ending their ten-year marriage. They reached a private financial settlement.


Assistants' fraud trial

On 27 November 2013, a trial of the former couple's two personal assistants, Italian-born sisters began in '' R v Grillo and Grillo''. The Grillos were accused of fraudulently using the credit cards of Saatchi's private company. During court proceedings in early December, the sisters claimed that Lawson had permitted their use of the credit cards in exchange for their silence regarding her drug use. Questions regarding Lawson's drug use were allowed by the judge as part of the sisters' "bad character" defence. Lawson admitted to taking
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
and
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
but denied she had been addicted, stating, "I found it made an intolerable situation tolerable." On 20 December 2013, the two sisters were acquitted.
Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...
said that Lawson would not be investigated over the drug allegations. Charles Saatchi was alleged to have started a smear campaign against Lawson in the British media through PR man Richard Hillgrove before the trial was over. Lawson's lawyers demanded that Hillgrove remove comments about her from his blog. Lawson said in court that ending her marriage to Saatchi had created intolerable conditions for herself and her family, describing Saatchi as "a brilliant but brutal man". Lawson maintained she was "totally cannabis, cocaine, any drug, free" after the divorce. On 30 March 2014, Lawson was not permitted to board a flight from London to Los Angeles. The
US Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions involv ...
explained that foreigners who had admitted drug taking were deemed "inadmissible". However, US authorities invited her to apply for a visa shortly afterwards, and she was granted a "waiver of inadmissibility" allowing her to travel to the US.


Interests and beliefs

In 2008, Lawson reported that she held a personal fortune of £15 million. Her husband Charles Saatchi was worth £100 million at that time. She said her two children should not inherit any of her money, saying: "I am determined that my children should have no financial security. It ruins people not having to earn money."Llewellyn Smith, Julia
Nigella Lawson's poor little rich kids
. ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', 4 February 2008. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
Lawson is of Jewish heritage. Both of Lawson's parents are Jewish and her upbringing was non-observant. Lawson is an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
. In one of her newspaper articles, she said "most
omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient history, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages ...
simply have, somewhere, a fantasy about having sex, in a non-defining, non-exclusive way, with other women." Lawson is a supporter of the Lavender Trust which gives support to young women with breast cancer. She first became involved with the charity in 2002 when she baked some lavender cupcakes to be auctioned at a fundraising event, which sold for a significant amount of money. She subsequently featured the recipe in her book ''Forever Summer with Nigella''. In December 2008, Lawson was criticised by animal rights groups for comments which suggested it would be morally acceptable to wear the fur of an animal that one had killed, and that she would be proud to wear the fur of a bear that she had hunted or "
one 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
into battle" with. It was revealed by leaked
Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...
documents in 2003 that Lawson declined an
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
from
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
in 2001, explaining that "I'm not saving lives and I'm not doing anything other than something I absolutely love." As the daughter of a
life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
, Lawson is entitled to the courtesy style of "
The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style ...
", and may thus be referred to as The Hon. Nigella Lawson; however, she does not use this courtesy style. Lawson has stated that she believes cooking is "a metaphor for life", in the sense that "When you cook, you need structure ..but just as importantly you need to be able to loosen up and go with the flow ..you must not strive for perfection but, rather, acknowledge your mistakes and work out how you can rectify them". She has described cooking as "a way of strengthening oneself", in the sense that "being able to sustain oneself is the skill of the survivor".


Television credits


Awards

*2000 –
British Book Awards The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by ''The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the Na ...
– Author of the Year for ''How to Be a Domestic Goddess'' *2001 –
WHSmith WH Smith plc, trading as WHSmith (also written WH Smith and formerly as W. H. Smith & Son), is a British retailer, with headquarters in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of railway station, airport, port, hospital and motorway service s ...
Book Award – ''How to Be a Domestic Goddess'' shortlisted for Lifestyle Book of the Year *2001 –
Guild of Food Writers The Guild of Food Writers (GFW) is a professional association of food writers and broadcasters in the United Kingdom. It has around 600 authors, broadcasters, columnists and journalists among its members. In 2022 Delia Smith was presented with ...
– Television Broadcast of the Year for ''Nigella Bites *2001 – World Food Media Award – Gold Ladle Best Television Food Show for ''Nigella Bites'' *2002 – WHSmith Book Awards – Lifestyle Book of the Year for ''Nigella Bites'' *2007 – World Food Media Award – Gold Ladle Best Food and/or Drink Television Show for ''Nigella's Christmas Kitchen'' *2016 –
Fortnum & Mason Fortnum & Mason plc (colloquially often shortened to just Fortnum's) is an Luxury goods, upmarket department store in London, England. The main store is located at 181 Piccadilly in the St James's area of London, where it was established in 1707 ...
TV Personality of the Year *2021 – nominated for a
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
for her pronunciation of mee-cro-wah-vay (microwave) during an episode of her series ''Nigella's Cook, Eat, Repeat''.


Bibliography

*''How to Eat: Pleasures and Principles of Good Food'', Chatto and Windus, John Wiley & Sons, (, 1998) *''How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking'', Chatto and Windus, (, 2000) *''Nigella Bites'', Chatto and Windus, (, 2001) *''Forever Summer with Nigella'', Chatto and Windus, (, 2002) *''Feast: Food that Celebrates Life'', Chatto and Windus, (, 2004) or Hyperion (, 2004) *''Nigella Lawson, A Biography'', Gilly Smith (, 2006) *''Nigella Express'', Chatto and Windus, (, 2007) *''Nigella Christmas'', Chatto and Windus (, 2008) *''Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home'', Chatto and Windus (, 2010) *''Nigellissima: Instant Italian Inspiration'', Chatto and Windus (, 2012) *''How To Be A Domestic Goddess'', Chatto and Windus (, 2014) *''Simply Nigella'', Chatto and Windus (, 2015) *''At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking'', Chatto and Windus, (, 2017) *''Nigella's Cook, Eat, Repeat'', Chatto and Windus (, 2020)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, Nigella 1960 births 20th-century English non-fiction writers 20th-century English women writers 20th-century atheists 21st-century English non-fiction writers 21st-century English women writers 21st-century atheists Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford British Book Award winners Television chefs Daughters of life peers English Jews English atheists English broadcasters English food writers British restaurant critics British gastronomes English journalists English people of Dutch descent English people of Dutch-Jewish descent English people of German-Jewish descent English people of Latvian-Jewish descent English television chefs English television presenters Food Network chefs Jewish atheists Jewish women writers Living people People educated at Godolphin and Latymer School People educated at Westminster School, London People from Wandsworth Saatchi family Salmon family The Sunday Times people Writers from the London Borough of Wandsworth
Nigella ''Nigella'' is a genus of 18 species of annual plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native to Southern Europe, North Africa, South Asia, Southwest Asia and Middle East. Common names applied to members of this genus are nigella, devil-in-a-bush o ...