London - Her new show is called Simply Nigella. But viewers may not have expected the TV cook’s recipes to be quite so, well, simple.
Lawson has been widely mocked after kicking off her latest cookery series by explaining to the viewing public how to make avocado on toast. Rather than showcase her culinary skills, the 55-year-old chose to spend several minutes scooping out the flesh of the fruit and mashing it in a bowl.
One disappointed viewer of the BBC2 show joked on social media that “she’ll be teaching us how to make a cuppa next”. Another said the meal was something their four-year-old could make.
Some even accused her of wasting licence fee payers’ money. Their verdict was perhaps reflected in the viewing figures. Only 2.3 million tuned in on Monday night, the lowest for an opening episode of any of Lawson’s BBC shows in at least ten years. Simply Nigella represents her comeback to the BBC.
It follows a difficult few years in which she was divorced from Charles Saatchi after he was photographed grabbing her around the neck in public, and gave evidence in a trial during which she admitted taking cocaine.
In the introduction to the first episode, Lawson explained the series would showcase the “food I’ve enjoyed as I’ve settled in to my new kitchen and where I am in my life right now.”
But her explanation of how to prepare avocado on toast – in her version dressed up with dill, salt, lime, dried chili flakes and radish – did not go down well.
Despite admitting avocado toast is not a recipe, she was mocked for saying it is “part of the fabric of my life”. Many poked fun at her for describing how much she likes the sound “when I scrape out that last bit of avocado.” She then added: “Don’t mind me while I mash.”
One viewer said: “Nigella is a cooking goddess and, yes, I love avocado on toast but I don’t need a recipe for it in 2015.” Another said: “I am actually in shock that Nigella is doing a recipe for avocado toast – this isn’t what I pay my licence fee for.”
Daily Mail
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