Nigella Lawson is a chef, author and beloved television personality who has spent decades
in the spotlight.
But there are a few aspects of her life story only known to die hard fans.
This is the untold truth of one of Britain's most-cherished chefs.
Lawson is one of the most well-known female chefs on TV, and she's made sure to use her
platform to talk about why cooking can be a feminist act.
When the Guardian asked her point-blank if she was a feminist, she answered,
"I feel the answer to be so self-evidently a 'yes,' I am almost baffled by the question."
Lawson also wants women to know they are, quote, "entitled to eat."
She told The Cut,
"[...] I think that [this sense of entitlement is] important, because women had been trained
to be the providers of food but not the consumers of food.
And that to me is a terrible thing."
Letting women know that they can enjoy food without reservation is an essential part of
Lawson's feminism.
Speaking of no reservations ...
Lawson and the late Anthony Bourdain worked together on the food competition show The
Taste, but their unlikely friendship started a decade earlier when they met at a dinner
party.
When Bourdain signed on to the show, he said he'd only do it if Lawson could be a co-host
as well.
After Lawson's ugly divorce was finalized, Bourdain sweetly observed to the Daily Mail
that Lawson had since, quote, "blossomed" into an even more confident chef and host.
Bourdain was also vocal on Twitter when Lawson was denied entry to the United States based
on an earlier court case confession that she had used pot and cocaine in her past.
Bourdain tweeted,
"I am absolutely mortified with embarrassment over the cruelty and hypocrisy of US actions
re: #Nigella travel.
Unbelievable."
The Taste was cancelled after three seasons, but Bourdain and Lawson reportedly stayed
close.
Upon Bourdain's death, Lawson stated on Twitter,
"Heartbroken to hear about Tony Bourdain's death.
Unbearable for his family and girlfriend.
Am going off twitter for a while."
Not everyone has heard of Italian chef and food writer Anna Del Conte, but the influence
of her books on Lawson and other notable names in the culinary world can't be understated.
Some even credit her with introducing authentic Italian cooking to Britain.
Lawson calls Del Conte's Entertaining all'Italiana"the book that made [her] into a food writer."
She also notes that it's because of Del Conte that Lawson's own cooking tends to have a
bit of an Italian flair.
“When I was writing my first book, I think Anna was probably the leading influence."
In fact, Lawson considers Del Conte to be so influential to modern English cuisine that
she decided to make a documentary about the chef.
The Cook Who Changed Our Lives explores Del Conte's origins in Milan, gives a peek at
the evolution of British cuisine over the past half-century, and features well-known
chefs and food personalities talking about how Del Conte personally influenced them.
Lawson has revealed in interviews that she actually loathed food as a child, primarily
because of the pleasure-free way it was presented to her.
She told the Guardian,
"I was made to sit until I’d eaten, and if after hours (it was probably never hours,
but it felt like that then) I had failed to clean my plate, the same plate, with its cold,
unloved remains, was put in front of me at the next meal."
Lawson says that this food-based discipline was a common practice in 1960s Britain, but
her mother was actually an excellent cook, and she slowly grew to appreciate mealtime
as she got older.
In particular, Lawson has fond memories whipping up egg-based sauces like mayonnaise and hollandaise
with her mother and grandmother.
All cooks have a few tools up their sleeve that they just couldn't do without.
Lawson told the Wall Street Journal that for her, a Microplane and a mezzaluna are two
must-own gadgets.
If you're unfamiliar with these handy tools, Microplanes are sharp, fine, rasp-style graters.
They can be used for grating cheese, zesting citrus, shaving chocolate, and a whole host
of other essential kitchen tasks.
A mezzaluna is a curved Italian blade used for finely chopping herbs, nuts, and fillings.
Lawson admits she doesn't have good knife skills, so, for her, a tool like the mezzaluna
makes chopping way less tedious.
And Anna Del Conte uses one, so you know it's authentic!