Nigella Lawson confesses she is 'no polished' baker and says she was 'worried' about judging amateurs on The Great British Bake Off ahead of her long-awaited tent debut
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By TARA RUSSELL
Published: | Updated:
She's made her name and built a career as the nation's foremost domestic goddess.
But it seems that Nigella Lawson is a bit rusty when it comes to baking and is worried about having to critique amateur bakers in her new role on The Great British Bake Off.
With the new series starting tonight, the beloved cook will appear alongside Paul Hollywood as she whittles down the 12 contestants to find this year's champion.
But, she says, she is 'no polished' baker herself and is now concerned that she won't be up to scratch.
The 66-year-old told the Radio Times: 'I was a bit worried because, well, you wouldn't mark me up for my polished finishes as a baker.
'Generally speaking, I don't think of myself as a judge. I came to baking later in life and because of that it's something that intrigues and fascinates me.
Nigella Lawson has confessed she was a bit rusty when it came to her baking skills, and she was 'worried' about having to critique amateur bakers on The Great British Bake Off
'I've learnt by doing and I'm a home baker, not a professional. It's quite interesting because the contestants are home bakers, too, so I have sympathy for that.'
For more than two decades, Nigella has worn the tiara of the British food culture scene, famed for her best-selling cookery books and television shows including Simply Nigella.
Bake Off is not Nigella's first foray into the world of televised cooking competitions but her previous judging positions centred around scrutinising professional chefs in MasterChef Australia rather than amateur bakers.
Nigella is acutely aware of the big boots she is expected to fill as she describes her new role: 'I felt it was a huge leap, but it's been lovely.'
Her fellow judge, Paul, who Nigella describes as the 'backbone of Bake Off', has previously worked alongside Dame Mary Berry and Dame Prue Leith since the show first aired 16 years ago.
Paul said: 'The thing is Mary was different to Prue, Prue was different to Nigella and Nigella is different to Mary.
'They each bring their own character to it, and Nigella is a very warm person, especially to the bakers. More so than Mary was and I think more akin to Prue.
'There's a very nurturing nature to Nigella, which was quite strong this year. Whereas me, I suppose I'm the constant. So I remain in my position of being constructively critical.'
The beloved cook has joined the Channel 4 show as a judge, alongside longtime star Paul Hollywood and hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding
Nigella's arrival is not the only recipe change to grace this year's Bake Off tent.
The 2026 competition will include 'wearable' bakes, a free-from week and, upon audience request, a signature challenge during which bakers must compete alongside a relative of their choice.
Commenting on the series' new ingredients, Paul said: 'I don't like change. I'm a traditionalist and I don't like changing the format at all.
'But the audience choice of "bake with a relative" was a fantastic idea. The interaction, how they allocated work to their partner, it gave us a chance to be nosey.'
The Great British Bake Off returns tonight on Channel 4 at 8pm.
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