My Canadian very kindly bought me a ticket to the Auckland Writers Festival “Nigella Lawson: In Conversation.” I have been a fan of Nigella’s writing for years. I adore the way she champions the home cook and she celebrates the food she shares with her friends and family.
The ASB Theatre was packed to the rafters. For an hour, we heard anecdotes of her time at the Sunday Times as a literary critic, and then restaurant critic. We heard stories of her childhood and the finer details of how her TV shows are created.
What I found particularly interesting is the way Nigella dislikes the pretentiousness within the food industry. One does not have to make everything from scratch, remember the modern person leads a full and busy life. There is no shame in purchasing a beautiful bread to accompany a feast with friends. Nigella has dined in many restaurants, even she will admit there are times when she wants a beautiful bread and a wedge of cheese for dinner. This is a sentiment I can truly understand. In 2016, she was ridiculed for presenting a recipe for Avocado on Toast. A recipe so simple, it hardly seems a recipe. But this is part of her charm. Her practicality combined with her love of food, means she finds pleasure in eating all things.
Nigella is a writer first and a celebrity cook second. I regularly read her cookbook How to Eat as if it were a novel. Her writing style is conversational, making the recipes read like someone is standing there instructing you. How to Eat is now 20 years old, and yet it feels like a constant friend.
Thank you to PenguinRandomHouse and Auckland Writers Festival putting on such a beautiful night.
I don’t believe you can ever really cook unless you love eating – Nigella
