From a viral moment involving avocado toast to weird interviews to easy-to-make recipes,
Nigella Lawson's shows have been uneven...
to say the least. Here are her cooking shows ranked from worst to best.
Nigella Lawson has a lot of different talents. She can effortlessly cook up a storm, but apparently
she cannot run a successful talk show. That's right, in 2005, Lawson hosted an aptly titled
show called "Nigella," where she would interview her guests while cooking them a delicious meal.
Apparently, the multitasking was beyond her capacity and the show was deemed a train wreck.
"I'm always interested in a conversation about food. I mean,
I don't know… I come from a very boringly foodie family."
Take for instance Lawson's interview with radio and TV personality Terry Wogan. In this segment,
Wogan interrupts her to ask if she's washed her hands before cooking the bacon. He then
goes on to tell her that she is being rude for talking as she chews. It's not a great interview,
and it's not the only rough spot in the talk show's conversational history.
Apparently, viewers agreed, and the show's ratings showed it.
According to "The Guardian," the debut episode of "Nigella" managed just 800,000 viewers.
According to Mashable, Lawson broke the internet with the 2015 series premiere of
her show "Simply Nigella." How, you might ask? She used her new cooking series as a
platform to demonstrate how you can make avocado toast. That's right, she walked
her viewers through how to spread avocado on toast and top it with radishes and dill.
Granted, Lawson did admit during the segment that she wasn't exactly giving viewers a
detailed recipe, but it wasn't enough to stop the Twittersphere from roasting the avocado toast
moment. Viewers complained about everything from the basic nature of the segment to the way Lawson
tried to describe the food as she made it. In the words of one Twitter user it was "beyond parody."
Okay folks, we're officially out of the swamp of bad Nigella shows and in the bright green pastures
of great ones. That's correct, in the 22 years that Lawson has been making cooking programs,
she's only gotten it wrong twice. Which to be honest, is an astounding track record.
So, with all of that in mind, let's discuss Lawson's series "Forever Summer." In a 2003
review for this program, "Entertainment Weekly" noted that one of the highlights of this show
was the cook's playful language sprinkled throughout her tutorials. Whether she's
describing Japanese noodles or explaining how to add sugar into a mixture for a dessert,
Lawson always makes it sound like a delightful experience.
"Just add a spoonful at a time, serenely, slowly, unworriedly."
That said, while "Forever Summer" is fun, it's not a Nigella classic. Online discussions of the
series pale in comparison to her other shows, making it one of her more forgettable ones.
"Nigella: At My Table" serves as Lawson's follow-up series to "Simply Nigella" and
the avocado toast fiasco, but this show deserves some praise,
because Lawson brought some of her top recipes to the table. For example, she makes Turkish
eggs which are paired with garlic-infused yogurt, sticky toffee pudding, and many other
delicious dishes. In "Nigella: At My Table," the recipes are created with comfort food in mind.
However, not every "Nigella: At My Table" review
is overwhelmingly positive. "The Guardian," for example, complained about the wide
range of expensive equipment Lawson used to make the food. While it's obviously a show,
some of the gear makes it hard for the average home cook to approximate Lawson's
recipes when they seem to depend on an endless supply of expensive appliances.
Sometimes Lawson's cooking shows are blasted for featuring meals that couldn't be made
by her everyday audience. So, when her program "Nigellissima" came along, "The Guardian" decided
to try test cooking the recipes, and found them easy for home cooks to access. Whether it's steak,
ice cream, or a pizza made with a meat base dubbed a "meatzza," this show featured
Lawson giving viewers plenty of delicious, Italian-inspired food they could make at home.
"Nigella Feasts" is fairly standard fare for Lawson in terms of cooking programming.
For example, it features plenty of instances where she sensually describes her cooking,
rummages through her pantry, and gets up at midnight for cheeky leftover snacks.
However, the fact that the show follows many of the cook's expected routines is far from terrible,
and the classic format is just as comforting as the food that "Nigella Feasts" features.
In the first episode alone, Lawson creates a heartwarming chili, some delicious guacamole,
and a chocolate cherry trifle. It all looks great, and it's fairly accessible,
so "Nigella Feasts" will probably build your appetite to whip up a feast of your own.
While it seems odd that the show isn't called "Nigella's Kitchen," we'll set language aside and
focus on the goods. This series is particularly focused on accessible food, including recipes
Lawson learned from her own mother. Most of the meals could easily be pulled off by a home cook.
However, if you're worried that this smoother version of Lawson means that
she doesn't make any decadent desserts, set your concerns aside. The chocolate
peanut butter cheesecake recipe alone makes the series worth watching at least once.
"Nigella's Cook, Eat, Repeat" was released in 2020, and proved to be one of her biggest
successes. The show got rave reviews for its presence during the COVID-19 lockdown,
and for its tight focus on recipes rather than more lifestyle-focused segments.
Indeed, the main event here is certainly the abundance of tempting food.
Throughout this series, Lawson whips up a chocolate banana tahini pudding,
a vegan cauliflower curry, and a lamb noodle dish that's the ultimate lockdown comfort food.
Lockdown or not, you'll want to try out Lawson's selection of recipes and savor the rich flavors.
Although "Nigella Bites" was Lawson's first show and is over 20 years old at this point,
this classic is definitely worth revisiting.
"Get rid of the day's stresses"
Though she's since gained a reputation for hard-to-make recipes, Lawson's first show
is a showcase of her abilities as a mother and an unpretentious cook.
Whether she's arguing for the use of frozen peas or getting her hands dirty in the kitchen,
it's clear that she's more interested in the food than in the fuss. It's a laid back food viewing
experience that's worth another look, and you may even be inspired to cook along with Lawson.
In 2008, "Nigella Express" was nominated for two Emmys,
the only time Lawson has earned nods from the Television Academy in her career.
Though she didn't win either award, it's an indication of just how impressive this series is.
As the name suggests, "Nigella Express" is all about speed, and therefore it brings
out the simplicity in Lawson's cooking. Whether she's making bread pudding or tomato bacon hash,
there's a comforting vibe running through the show, and the focus on speed and convenience means
it all feels easy to try at home. No wonder the show was a hit with both TV critics and viewers.
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