Nigella Lawson



Nigella Lucy Lawson (born 6 January 1960) is an English journalist, broadcaster, television personality, gourmet, and food writer. She is the daughter of Nigel Lawson, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Vanessa (née Salmon) Lawson, whose family owned the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Lyons_and_Co. J. Lyons and Co.] food and catering business. After graduating from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, Lawson started work as a book reviewer and restaurant critic, later becoming the deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times in 1986. She then embarked upon a career as a freelance journalist, writing for a number of newspapers and magazines. In 1998, she brought out her first cook book, How to Eat, which sold 300,000 copies and became a best-seller. She wrote her second book in 2000, How to be a Domestic Goddess, which won her the British Book Award for Author of the Year.

In 1999, she hosted her own cooking show series, Nigella Bites, on Channel 4, accompanied by another best-selling cook book. Nigella Bites won Lawson a Guild of Food Writers Award; her 2005 ITV daytime chat show Nigella was met with a negative critical reaction and was cancelled after attracting low ratings. She hosted the Food Network's Nigella Feasts in the United States in 2006 followed by a three-part BBC Two series, Nigella's Christmas Kitchen, in the UK, which led to the commissioning of Nigella Express on BBC Two in 2007. Her own cookware range,Living Kitchen, has a value of £7 million, and she has sold more than 3 million cook books worldwide to date.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Background 
 * 2 Career
 * 2.1 Early work
 * 2.2 1998–2002: Cook book writing and Nigella Bites
 * 2.3 2003–2006: Nigella Feasts and BBC contract
 * 2.4 2007–2009: Nigella Express and Nigella's Christmas
 * 2.5 2010–present
 * 3 Presenting style and image
 * 4 Personal life
 * 4.1 Relationships and children
 * 4.1.1 Fraud trial
 * 4.2 Interests and beliefs
 * 5 Television credits
 * 6 Awards
 * 7 Bibliography
 * 8 References
 * 9 External links

Background
Nigella Lawson was born in London, one of the daughters of Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby,[2]  a former Conservative MP, and a former Chancellor of the Exchequer in Margaret Thatcher's government, and his first wife, Vanessa (née Salmon; 1936–1985),[3]  a socialite, "celebrated beauty"[4]  and heiress to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Lyons_%26_Co. J. Lyons & Co.] fortune.[5]  Her parents both came fromJewish families.[6] [7] [8]  Her given name was originally suggested by her grandmother.[9]  Her family kept homes in Kensington and Chelsea,[10]  and were noted for their luxurious life-style.[11]

Nigel and Vanessa Lawson divorced in 1980. They both remarried; her father in 1980 to a House of Commons researcher, Therese Maclear (to whom he was married until 2008),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  and her mother, in the early 1980s, to philosopher, A. J. Ayer (they remained married until her mother's death).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-interviews_5-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]  As her father, Nigel, is a prominent political figure, some of the things she found frustrating were the judgements and pre-conceptions about her.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-reality_9-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  Lawson did not get on well with her father during her parents' divorce, and she became friendly with her mother only when she reached adulthood.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-doll_13-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  She has attributed her unhappiness as a child, in part, to the problematic relationship she had with her mother.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-modestgoddess_10-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson's school years were difficult; she had to move schools nine times between the ages of 9 and 18, spending some of her childhood in the Welsh town of Higher Kinnerton. "I was just difficult, disruptive, good at school work, but rude, I suspect, and too highly-strung", Lawson reflected.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sweetandsour_14-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  Her father originally chose not to believe the reports of her disruptive behaviour and thought the school had the wrong person.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-doll_13-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  Lawson reluctantly attended a private school in the Midlands and later returned to London's Godolphin and Latymer School sixth form where she began to show skill academically.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-doll_13-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  She worked for many department stores in London,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tastyempire_15-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15]  and went on to graduate from Oxford University<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tastyempire_15-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15]  with a degree in medieval and modern languages.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-askthequestions_16-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16]  She lived in Florence, Italy for a period of time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-angel_17-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Her mother died of liver cancer in Westminster, London at the age of 48.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-interviews_5-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-angel_17-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  Her full-blood siblings are her brother, Dominic, former editor of The Sunday Telegraph, a sister, Horatia and sister Thomasina, who died of breast cancer in 1993 during her early thirties;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sweetandsour_14-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19]  She has a half-brother Tom, and a half-sister Emily, her father's children by his second wife. Lawson is a cousin to both George Monbiot and Fiona Shackleton through the Salmon family.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Taking part in the third series of the BBC family-history documentary series, Who Do You Think You Are?, Lawson sought to uncover some of her family's ancestry. She traced her ancestors to Ashkenazi Jews who originate from eastern Europe and Germany, leaving Lawson surprised not to have Iberian-Sephardi ancestry in the family as she had believed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-WDYTYA_21-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  She also uncovered that her maternal great-great-great grandfather, Coenraad Sammes (later Coleman Joseph), had fled to England from Amsterdam in 1830 to escape a prison sentence following a conviction for theft.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-WDYTYA_21-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-seconds_22-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]  It was his daughter, Hannah, who married Samuel Gluckstein, father-in-law and business partner of Barnett Salmon and father of Isidore and Montague Gluckstein, who together with Barnett founded J. Lyons and Co. in 1887.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-WDYTYA_21-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Directors_23-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[23]

Early work
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson originally worked in publishing, first taking a job under publisher Naim Attallah.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tastyempire_15-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15]  At 23, she began her career in journalism after Charles Moore had invited her to write for The Spectator.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tastyempire_15-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15]  Her initial work at the magazine consisted of writing book reviews,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hot_24-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-envy.2Clust_25-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25]  after which period she became a restaurant critic there in 1985.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sweetandsour_14-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  She became the deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times in 1986 at the age of 26.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sweetandsour_14-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-penny_26-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[26]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">She occasionally drifted into the public's eye, attracting unwanted publicity in 1989 when she admitted voting for Labour in an election as opposed to her father's Conservative Party, and then criticised Margaret Thatcher in print.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-interviews_5-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5] Regarding her political relationship with her father, Lawson has stated, "My father would never expect me to agree with him about anything in particular. And, to be honest, we never talk about politics much."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Metro.2CLawson_27-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">After her stint at The Sunday Times, she embarked upon a freelance writing career, realising that "I was on the wrong ladder. I didn't want to be an executive, being paid to worry rather than think".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-modestgoddess_10-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  In the United Kingdom, she wrote forThe Daily Telegraph, the Evening Standard, The Observer and The Times Literary Supplement, and penned a food column for Vogue<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-inside_28-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]  and a makeup column for The Times Magazine,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-modestgoddess_10-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  as well as working with Gourmet and Bon Appétit in the United States.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-foodnetwork_29-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  After two weeks working on Talk Radio in 1995, Lawson was sacked after she had stated her shopping was done for her, which was deemed incompatible with the radio station's desired "common touch".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-interviews_5-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]

1998–2002: Cook book writing and Nigella Bites
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson had an established sense of cooking from her childhood, having had a mother who enjoyed to cook.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-modestgoddess_10-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  Lawson conceived the idea of writing a cook book after she observed a dinner party host in tears because of an unset crème caramel.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-itgirl_30-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  How to Eat (1998),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sweetandsour_14-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  featuring culinary tips on preparation and saving time,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-itgirl_30-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  sold 300,000 copies in the UK.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hot_24-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24]  The Sunday Telegraph dubbed it "the most valuable culinary guide published this decade."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Its successor, How to be a Domestic Goddess (2000), focuses primarily on baking.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-angel_17-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  Of this second bestseller, The Times wrote of Lawson's book, that it "is defined by its intimate, companionable approach. She is not issuing matronly instructions like Delia; she is merely making sisterly suggestions".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-modestgoddess_10-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  Lawson rejected feminist criticism of her book,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32]  adding that "[s]ome people did take the domestic goddess title literally rather than ironically. It was about the pleasures of feeling like one rather than actually being one."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-extremes_2-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  The book sold 180,000 copies in four months,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-itgirl_30-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  and won Lawson the title of Author of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2001,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hot_24-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24]  fending off competition from authors such as J. K. Rowling.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33]  One commentator suggested she won the award only because her husband (journalist John Diamond) was terminally ill with cancer. Lawson retorted, "I am not against pity, but I have no desire to be tragic".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hot_24-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24]  How to Eat and How to be a Domestic Goddess were published in the U.S. in 2000 and 2001.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-culinary_34-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]  As a result of the book's success, The Observer took on Lawson as a social affairs columnist.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sweetandsour_14-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson next hosted her own cooking show television series, Nigella Bites, which ran from 1999 to 2001 on Channel 4,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]  followed by a Christmas special in 2001.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]  Victor Lewis-Smith, a critic usually known for his biting comments, praised Lawson for being "formidably charismatic".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-extremes_2-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  The first series of Nigella Bites averaged 1.9 million viewers,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38]  and won her the Television Broadcast of the Year at the Guild of Food Writers Awards<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39]  and the Best Television Food Show at the World Food Media Awards in 2001.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]  The show yielded an accompanying best-selling recipe book, also called Nigella Bites,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  for which Waterstone's book stores reported UK sales of over 300,000.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-booksales_42-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42]  The book won a W H Smith Award for Lifestyle Book of the Year.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43]  The Nigella Bites series, which was filmed in her home in west London, was later broadcast on American television on channels [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E! E!]<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-getscooking_44-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  and Style Network.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hot_24-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24]  Lawson said of the US release, "In the UK, my viewers have responded to the fact I'm trying to reduce, not add to, their burden and I'm looking forward to making that connection with Style viewers across the US".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-getscooking_44-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  Overall, Lawson was well received in the United States.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Metro.2CLawson_27-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]  Those who did criticise her often suggested she was too flirtatious; a commentator from The New York Times said, "Lawson's sexy roundness mixed with her speed-demon technique makes cooking dinner with Nigella look like a prelude to an orgy".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hot_24-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24]  The book of Nigella Bites became the second bestselling cook book of Christmas 2002 in America.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-diplomacy_45-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45]  The series was followed by Forever Summer with Nigella in 2002 on Channel 4, the concept being, "that you cook to make you still feel as though you're on holiday".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Metro.2CLawson_27-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In 2002 she also began to write a fortnightly cooking articles for The New York Times,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chewing_3-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[3]  and brought out a profitable line of kitchenware, called the Living Kitchen range, which is sold by numerous retailers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-inside_28-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]  Her range's value has continued to grow, starting at an estimated £2 million in 2003,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46]  and increasing to £7 million in 2007.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bus_47-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47]

2003–2006: Nigella Feasts and BBC contract
Nigella Lawson, at a book signing in 2004.<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In November 2003, Lawson oversaw the menu and preparations for a lunch hosted by Tony Blair at Downing Street for George W. Bush and his wife during their state visit to the UK.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[48]  Laura Bush is said to be a fan of Lawson's recipes and once included one of her soups as the starter for the 2002 presidential Christmas dinner.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-diplomacy_45-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45]  Lawson's fifth book, Feast: Food that Celebrates Life, released in 2004,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[49]  made sales worth £3 million.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[50]  London's Evening Standard wrote that the book "works both as a practical manual and an engrossing read. ... Nobody else writes so openly about the emotional significance of food."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  Lawson appeared frequently on American television in 2004, conducting cookery slots on talk shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-52" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In the UK in 2005, Lawson started to host a daytime television chat show on ITV1 called Nigella, on which celebrity guests joined her in a studio kitchen.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-seconds_22-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]  The first episode debuted with a disappointing 800,000 viewers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[53]  The show was met with a largely negative critical reaction,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-54" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[54]  and after losing 40% of its viewers in the first week, the show was cancelled.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-joins_55-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[55]  She later commented to Radio Times that on her first show, she was almost too frightened to come out of her dressing room.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-56" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[56]  Lawson added that having to pretend to be interested in the lives of the celebrities on her show became too much of an effort.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-seconds_22-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]  She discovered, "I can't ever be a presenter, and won't do scripts".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-57" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[57]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Her third food-based television series, called Nigella Feasts, debuted on the USA's Food Network in Autumn 2006 for a 13-week run.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-joins_55-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[55]  Time magazine wrote a favorable review of the show; "the real appeal of Feasts ... is her unfussy, wry, practical approach to entertaining and quality comfort food. ... between the luscious camera shots and Lawson's sensual enjoyment of eating,Feasts will leave you wishing for an invite".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-58" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  Since the American broadcasting, Lawson signed a £2.5 million deal for the series to be shown in ten other countries across the world.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-pockets_59-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[59]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson was next signed to BBC Two to host a three-part cookery show entitled Nigella's Christmas Kitchen, which began on 6 December 2006 and aired weekly. The first two episodes secured the second highest ratings of the week for BBC Two, with the first episode debuting with a strong 3.5 million.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-viewing_60-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[60] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-61" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[61]  The final episode went on to become the top show on BBC Two the week that it was aired.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-viewing_60-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[60]  Nigella's Christmas Kitchen won Lawson a second World Food Media Award in 2007.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-62" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[62]  Her influence as a food commentator was also demonstrated in late 2006, when after she had lauded goose fat as being an essential ingredient for Christmas, sales percentages of the product increased significantly in the UK. Waitrose and Tesco both stated that goose fat sales had more than doubled, as well as Asda's goose fat sales increasing by 65% from the previous week.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-63" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[63]  Similarly, after she advised using prunes in a recipe on Nigella's Christmas Kitchen, Waitrose had increased sales of 30% year on year.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-64" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[64] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-65" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[65]

2007–2009: Nigella Express and Nigella's Christmas
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Nigella's Christmas Kitchen led to the commissioning of a 13-part cookery series entitled Nigella Express.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-66" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[66]  The series began to air on BBC Two on 3 September 2007, suggesting ways of making simple and quick dishes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[67]  Lawson admitted the recipes were not "particularly healthy",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-68" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[68]  although she added, "I wouldn't describe them as junk".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-69" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[69]  The show became another ratings success and one of BBC Two's top-rated shows each week.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BARB_2007-09-09_70-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[70]  The first episode debuted with 2.85 million viewers,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BARB_2007-09-09_70-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[70]  a high percentage above the channel's slot average.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-71" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[71]  The second episode's viewing figures rose to 3.3 million,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-72" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[72]  and the series peaked at 3.4 million on 22 October 2007.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-73" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[73]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Her influence with the public was again demonstrated when sales of Riesling wine increased by 30% in the UK after she had incorporated it into her Coq au Riesling recipe on Nigella Express.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-74" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[74]  Later, a similar trend was seen in the sales figures of the liqueur Advocaat after Lawson had endorsed it on the show.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-advocaat_75-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[75]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">The television series of Nigella Express was subject to criticism from the Daily Mail when it emerged that a bus Lawson was seen travelling on during the programme had been hired and filled with extras. The producers responded by saying, "This series is a factual entertainment cooking show, not an observational documentary and it is perfectly normal procedure". There was further controversy when it was revealed that the kitchens in which Lawson was seen cooking were in two separate locations; one in her home and the other in a London television studio.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bus_47-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson came under criticism when viewers complained that she had gained weight since the debut episode of the series.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-76" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[76]  Critics criticised the series for containing what they described as "scenes of gluttony not seen since the golden age of the Cookie Monster"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Mail_2007-10-24_77-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[77]  and commenting that her "largesse may have left her just that little bit larger."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Mail_2007-10-24_77-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[77]  The Guardian however, noted, "the food matches her appearance – flawless, polished and sexy".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-roughwithsmooth_78-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[78]  The rights toNigella Express have been sold to the Food Network in America,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bus_47-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47]  and to Discovery Asia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-79" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[79]  The series was nominated at the 35th Daytime Emmy Awards in the United States for Outstanding Lifestyle Program, and Lawson herself for the Outstanding Lifestyle Host.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-80" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[80]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">The accompanying book to Nigella Express was released in the UK in September 2007, U.S. in November 2007,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bus_47-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47]  and in Australia in 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-81" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[81]  Sharing the same name as the television series, the book became another best-seller in the UK,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-82" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[82]  and was outselling television chef Jamie Oliver by 100,000 copies, according to Waterstone's. It was reported that over 490,000 copies had been sold by mid-December in the UK.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-booksales_42-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42]  Furthermore, the book was number one for a period on Amazon UK's bestselling books,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-booksales_42-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42]  and was ninth on their overall list of Christmas bestsellers in any category.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-83" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[83]  Paul Levy of The Guardian wrote that the tone of the recipes was "just right. One of the appealing things about Nigella's brief introductions to each of them is that she thinks not just as cook, but as eater, and tells you whether they're messy, sticky or fussy."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-roughwithsmooth_78-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[78]  Lawson is now estimated to have sold more than 3 million books worldwide.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-84" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[84]  Her Christmas book was released in October 2008 and the television show in December of the same year. An American edition of the book "Nigella Christmas" with a different cover photograph was released in November 2009 with an accompanying book tour of several US cities and a special on the USA's Food Network.

2010–present
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson was featured as one of the three judges on a special battle of Iron Chef America, titled "The Super Chef Battle", which pitted White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford and Iron Chef Bobby Flay against chef Emeril Lagasse and Iron Chef Mario Batali. This episode was originally broadcast on 3 January 2010. Lawson's cookbook Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home (2010) is a tie-in with the TV series "Nigella Kitchen." This was shown in the UK and on the USA's Food Network. The book and series were both critical and financial successes. Nigellissima: Instant Italian Inspiration (2012) was met with more criticism in the UK than her previous cookbooks. It fared better with critics in the US and Italy. The 8 part TV series entitled Nigellissima was broadcast by the BBC.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson travelled to the United States in 2013 and starred alongside Anthony Bourdain in the reality cooking show The Taste.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="line-height:1em;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed]

Presenting style and image
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Though Lawson has enjoyed a successful career in cookery, she is not a trained chef,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fun_85-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[85]  and does not like being referred to as a "celebrity chef".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-reality_9-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  Furthermore, she does not see herself as a cook or an expert in her field.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-angel_17-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17] Throughout Lawson's television programmes,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-86" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[86]  she emphasises that she cooks for her own pleasure,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-modestgoddess_10-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  for enjoyment,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-extremes_2-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  and that she finds cooking therapeutic. When deciding upon which recipes to feature in her books, she takes the view of the eater, stating, "If it's something I don't want to carry on eating once I'm full, then I don't want the recipe ... I have to feel that I want to cook the thing again".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-angel_17-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson has adopted a casual approach to cooking, stating, "I think cooking should be about fun and family. ... I think part of my appeal is that my approach to cooking is really relaxed and not rigid. There are no rules in my kitchen."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fun_85-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[85] One editor, highlighting the technical simplicity of Lawson's recipes, noted that "her dishes require none of the elaborate preparation called for by most TV chefs".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-87" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[87]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson has become renowned for her flirtatious manner of presenting, although she argues "It’s not meant to be flirtatious. ... I don’t have the talent to adopt a different persona. It's intimate, not flirtatious".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-seconds_22-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]  The perceived overt sexuality of her presentation style has led to Lawson's being called the "queen of food porn".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-doll_13-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-88" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[88] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-89" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[89]  Many commentators have alluded to Lawson's attractiveness, and she was once named as one of the world's most beautiful women.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-angel_17-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  She has been referred to as "stunningly beautiful, warm, honest, likeable and amazingly normal",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sweetandsour_14-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  as well as being described as having "flawless skin, perfect white teeth, a voluptuous body, ample height and lots of lush, brown hair".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fun_85-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[85]  The media has also noted Lawson's ability to engage with both male and female viewers;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-extremes_2-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-envy.2Clust_25-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-90" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[90]  The Guardian wrote, "Men love her because they want to be with her. Women love her because they want to be her".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-reality_9-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9] The chef, Gary Rhodes, spoke out against Lawson by suggesting that her viewers are attracted to her smile rather than the cooking itself.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-91" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[91]  Despite often being labelled as a domestic goddess,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-92" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[92]  she insists that she exhibits very few of the qualities associated with the title.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-envy.2Clust_25-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Metro.2CLawson_27-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson is also known for her vivid and adjective-filled food descriptions in both her books and television programmes,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-93" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[93]  as one critic summarised, "her descriptions of food can be a tangle of adjectives."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-culinary_34-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]  In a study conducted in 2007 on the readability of different recipes, the chatty and florid style of Lawson's recipes was judged to be confusing to readers with weak reading skills.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-94" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[94]  Lawson has also expressed her surprise at how many reviews in the United States have mentioned her class and posh accent.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-interviews_5-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]

Relationships and children
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson was in a relationship with human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC until 1988, when he left her for novelist Kathy Lette.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-95" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[95]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson met journalist John Diamond in 1986, when they were both writing for The Sunday Times.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sweetandsour_14-7" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  They married in Venice in 1992<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-doll_13-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  and have a daughter, Cosima and a son, Bruno.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-96" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[96] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-97" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[97]  Diamond was diagnosed with throat cancerin 1997 and died in March 2001, aged 47.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hot_24-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24]  One of his last messages to Lawson was, "How proud I am of you and what you have become. The great thing about us is that we have made us who we are."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-extremes_2-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  His death occurred during the filming of Nigella Bites; "I took a fortnight off. But I'm not a great believer in breaks", Lawson explained;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-extremes_2-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  however, she suffered a bout of depression following the funeral.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-reality_9-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  After Diamond's death, Lawson kept all of the press clippings in what she called her "Morbidobox".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-extremes_2-7" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson married art collector Charles Saatchi in September 2003,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-98" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[98]  having drawn disapproval when she moved in with him nine months after Diamond's death.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-doll_13-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  In June 2013, photographs were published by the Sunday Peoplenewspaper of Lawson being grabbed around the neck by Saatchi during an argument outside a London seafood restaurant.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-99" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[99] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-100" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[100]  Saatchi later described the pictures as showing only a "playful tiff".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-101" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[101]  After a police investigation of the incident, Saatchi was cautioned for assault, and it was reported that Lawson had left the family home.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-102" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[102] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-103" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[103]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Saatchi announced his divorce from Lawson in early July, stating that he had "clearly been a disappointment to Nigella during the last year or so" and the couple had "become estranged and drifted apart". Lawson made no public comment in response;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-104" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[104]  however, court papers showed that it was Lawson who filed for divorce, citing ongoing unreasonable behaviour.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-divorce2013_105-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[105]  On 31 July 2013, seven weeks after the incident, the pair was granted a decree nisi, ending their ten-year marriage.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-divorce2013_105-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[105]  They reached a private financial settlement.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-divorce2013_105-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[105]

Fraud trial
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">On 27 November 2013, a trial of the former couple's two personal assistants, Italian-born sisters Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo, began in R v Grillo and Grillo. The Grillos were accused of fraudulently using the credit cards of Saatchi's private company.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-106" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[106] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-107" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[107]  During court proceedings in early December, the sisters claimed that Lawson had permitted their use of the credit cards in exchange for their silence regarding her drug use. Questions regarding Lawson's drug use have been allowed by the judge as part of the sisters' "bad character" defence. During the trial, Lawson recalled her response upon hearing of the fraud allegations in relation to Elisabetta: "She broke our heart. It's very difficult when you find out that someone you have loved and trusted could behave that way. In my heart of hearts I don't believe Lisa to be a bad person but I do believe that she doesn't have a very strong moral compass."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-108" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[108]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">On 20 December 2013, the two sisters were acquitted. Scotland Yard confirmed that Ms Lawson would not be the subject of an investigation based on claims made in court that she consumed cocaine; however, the decision will be reviewed if new evidence comes to light.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-109" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[109]

Interests and beliefs
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Saatchi was worth a reputed £100 million,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-penniless_110-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[110]  while Lawson was worth £15 million as of 2007, £8 million of which came from book sales.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-pockets_59-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[59]  It widely began circulating in the media in early 2008 that Lawson had been quoted as saying her two children should not inherit any of the fortune.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-penniless_110-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[110]  She strongly denied these plans in a statement on her personal website, which read, "Of course I have no intention of leaving my children destitute and starving – rather, this is a story that came from a comment I made about my belief that you have to work in order to learn the value of money".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hitsback_111-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[111]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Although both of Lawson's parents are Jewish, Judaism has played no significant part religiously in her life, but she believes that she has developed a somewhat "Jewish character".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-reality_9-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  She was brought up without any religion and she considers herself an atheist.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-doll_13-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-112" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[112]  In one of her newspaper articles, she has shown a liberal attitude to sexuality ("most [women] simply have, somewhere, a fantasy about having sex, in a non-defining, non-exclusive way, with other women.")<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-113" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[113]  Lawson has said she often partakes in watching football, and is an avid supporter of Chelsea.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-114" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[114]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Lawson is a supporter of the Lavender Trust which gives support to young women with breast cancer. She first became involved with the charity in 2002 when she baked some lavender cupcakes to be auctioned at a fundraising event, which sold for a significant amount of money. She subsequently featured the recipe in her book, Forever Summer with Nigella.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-115" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[115]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In December 2008, Lawson caused controversy and was featured in various newspapers for publicly advocating wearing fur. Lawson also remarked that she would love to kill a bear and then wear it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-116" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[116] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-117" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[117]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">It was revealed by leaked Whitehall documents in 2003 that Lawson declined an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II in 2001.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-118" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[118]  As the daughter of a life peer, Nigella is entitled to the courtesy title of "The Honourable", and is thus styled The Hon. Nigella Lawson; however, she does not use this courtesy title.

Awards

 * 2000: British Book Award – Author of the Year for How to be a Domestic Goddess
 * 2001: WH Smith Book Award – How To Be A Domestic Goddess shortlisted for Lifestyle Book of the Year
 * 2001: Guild of Food Writers – Television Broadcast of the Year for Nigella Bites
 * 2001: World Food Media Award – Gold Ladle Best Television Food Show for Nigella Bites
 * 2002: WH Smith Book Awards – Lifestyle Book of the Year for Nigella Bites
 * 2007: World Food Media Award – Gold Ladle Best Food And/Or Drink Television Show for Nigella's Christmas Kitchen