As the ultimate domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson was a fitting choice to replace Dame Prue Leith as a judge on The Great British Bake Off – and she is relishing her new role in the latest season of the popular TV show.
Joking that walking into the programme’s famous white tent was both surreal and a little like starting at a new school, she says that fellow judge Paul Hollywood and co-presenters Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding have shown her nothing but warmth.
Now part of their new WhatsApp group – aptly named Salty Gang, partly because of Nigella’s famous love of the flavour – she is excited about joining the show’s line-up, despite some initial nerves.
“I did worry that I didn’t deserve the honour and I had to speak to Paul [first],” says Nigella, 66. “I was following two very eminent ladies [previous presenters Dame Mary Berry and Dame Prue Leith], but they made my arrival as easy as possible. It sounds cheesy to say this, but it felt like a family. It’s a lovely atmosphere and I’m a member of it now.”
There was plenty of laughter inside the tent from the start, she adds. “Sometimes we did have the giggles. The more you try to rein it in, [the more] you can’t stop.
“I babble a lot and I’m a bit more ramshackle than Paul, but we do complement each other,” she says. “On our group WhatsApp, I remember saying: ‘Is it even legal to have so much fun at work?’”
Although there was strong camaraderie during filming, there were also disagreements about the contestants’ bakes, says Paul, who joins Nigella and Alison for our interview.
© Getty Images for Channel 4Paul, 60, who has been a judge on the show since its launch in 2010, explains that although he and Nigella always agreed on the fundamentals, they sometimes didn’t see eye to eye.
“Nigella has a wonderful way with words and she is very good at explaining what [the baking] tastes like,” he says. “We argued some points, but it was more [about] flavour.”
Nodding, Nigella adds: “I’m not saying we always agreed, but that’s good, too. It’s good to have different sides represented.”
It wasn’t just Paul who was thrilled when Nigella joined the cast, he says. Asked if he was excited when he heard the news, he laughs: “Yeah, me and about half the male population! I haven’t had so many calls from friends [about watching] Bake Off.”
© Getty ImagesSo, what can we expect from this year’s competition? Both say that they have been bowled over by the excellent standard of baking, but they won’t give any clues as to who fares well. “You need to take risks in life and that’s what the bakers do,” Nigella says. Paul adds: “I saw a couple of bakes this year that could have been in any five-star hotel.”
In the first showstopper challenge, each of the bakers will create a self-portrait in cake. Both Paul and Nigella thought this was a good way of gaining insight into their baking, as did Alison, 51. “It’s quite telling,” she says. “It’s great to have it in week one, as you get to know what they’re about, and their style.”
Like Nigella, Alison joined Bake Off when the show was already established, replacing Matt Lucas three years ago. At the time, she admitted to having gained a stone in weight during filming. So how has Nigella coped with the temptation?
“I’m very good at lifting a fork from a plate to my mouth,” she says. “At the beginning, when all the bakers were there, I did feel that I was challenging my system. I like to be able to taste things properly and I’m an eater. I did say to Paul: ‘How do you manage all that?’ and he said: ‘You could take smaller mouthfuls.’ Then I realised: ‘No I couldn’t.’
© Mark Bourdillon“I have to say that it’s a lovely problem to have. I don’t think I’m ever going to be the person who says: ‘I’m going to miss a meal.’ That would make life too miserable.”
As for how Alison thinks the new judge has fared, she praises her for injecting energy into proceedings. “You would think Nigella had been here for 20 years,” she says. “She has slotted in, no problem. It’s been a dream.”
The banter continued when the cameras stopped rolling, the trio reveal. From cheeseboard evenings to meals out together, they say it’s been a blast. “There have been a few sessions outside Bake Off,” Paul tells us, while Nigella adds: “Talking, laughing – all the things that make life gorgeous.”
The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 on Tuesday 22 September at 8pm
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