What is so irresistible about the Domestic Goddess?
Nigella Lawson: cook, Domestic Goddess and the nation’s favourite pronouncer of microwave (micro-whavay). She is one of the most notable TV personalities who arose from the early 2000s and its boom of television cooking with easy yet indulgent dishes that can be “whipped up for when your girlfriends come around.” But what is it about this seemingly mortal cook that has caused us to see her as such a deity in the kitchen?
My personal adoration for Nigella Lawson was initially gifted to me when I was very young; my mum had a barrage of cookbooks that largely featured Nigella which remained in the bottom of the cupboard only to be brought out for those special occasions when a fancy starter or a new take on a classic main was deemed necessary. Recently, my love for Nigella was rekindled by my new-found obsession with Saturday Kitchen which is proceeded by an episode of Nigella: At My Table. After finding myself glued to the TV for each episode, I think I have found the recipe that has contributed to Nigella Lawson’s irresistibility and fame.
Ingredients:
A scoop of wealth
From the matching appliances to the refined grammar school accent, Nigella Lawson is the epitome of a wealthy, middle-class woman. She has the walnut salad bowls, the Kitchen Aid stand-mixer and an outside seating area whose pergola is abundant in soft fairy lights and perfumed wisteria; perfect for hosting the girls. Nigella indulges in the presentation of her luxurious home with the marble-topped kitchen and those aesthetically pleasing racks to dangle your stainless-steel pots and pans. Being the daughter of a former member of parliament and a professional ballet dancer whilst being an Oxford graduate (a Lady Margaret Alumni) it is simply no wonder that you cannot help but trust her every word when she divulges her wisdom that a button mushroom will not suffice for a fry-up breakfast and that Porcini mushrooms are a must. In Nigella’s eyes, and indeed now in my very own, what is the point of living if it is not to enjoy the finest ingredients?
The rind of a lack of compromise
Something that surprises me about Nigella’s cooking is her unwillingness to compromise on heavy and indulgent ingredients, especially as she rose to prominence during a time of strict diet culture. With ingredients like muscovado sugar, rich dark chocolate, double cream and heavy-handed splashes of alcohol, I can hear the executives of Slimming World crying out and the Weight Watchers’ ticker of sin splintering. Through her cooking, Nigella aims to highlight the crème de la crème in life through the most indulgent and pleasurable ingredients. While the average person merely eats to get by, Nigella teaches us that in our short time on this earth that we need to treat ourselves through the only the most appetising foods. You deserve them!
A heavy serving of sex appeal
You would have to be blind and deaf to not be able to recognise the sex appeal that oozes from Nigella Lawson as she eloquently seduces her audience with her speech, her image and of course, her cooking. She has, as my mother likes to say, “a body that enjoys food”; a body that isn’t dissimilar to that of a Rubenesque figure. Her fashion also is a significant part of what develops this sex appeal; tight, figure-hugging dresses with a neckline that is just high enough for the BBC. But Nigella’s allure goes far beyond her physicality. Her luscious eloquence and loquacious descriptions that she uses are bursting with vocabulary that can’t help but have an aphrodisiac effect. “Gleaming”, “viscous” and “mellow” (to name a few) all evoke an epicurean delight that makes you absolutely crave whatever it is that she’s concocting in her kitchen. In tandem, the two work to manufacture the divine in the ordinary.
So, there you have it: a simple recipe that will help you to achieve Nigella Lawson’s immortality that can even be made the day before to save you time on the day. Just remember … it has to be full fat!