18 The Australian Women’s Weekly|MAY 2019
Exclusive interview
NIGELLAWEARSESCADASPORTDRESS,MAXMARABELT,CHRISTIANLOUBOUTINHEELS AND LMND BAGS. SHOT ON LOCATION AT ALIMENTARI, COLLINGWOOD.scheduledbetweenback-to-backpublicity
commitmentsforherappearanceon
Network’sTen’sMasterChefAustralia
anda sell-outAnEveningwithNigella
tourof AustraliaandNewZealand.In her
sparetimeshe’sworkingona newbook.
She’sbarelyhada momenttocatch
herbreathorshakeoffthejetlagsince
arrivingin Australiajusta fewdays
beforewemeet.Priortothat,she’d
justfinisheda seasonofAnEvening
withNigellaonLondon’sWestEnd
anda publicitytourtopromotethe
20thanniversaryeditionofHowto Eat,
thebookthatmadehera household
name.It’sanexhaustingschedulebut
sheinsistshertimein Australiabrings
a much-neededsenseofquietand
stillnessintoherlife,a chanceto
refreshdespitea jam-packeddiary.
“IloveAustraliaandcominghere
meansI geta bitoftimetomyself
becauseI’musuallystayingin a hotel,
sothere’snocleaninguporrunning
afterchildren,nolifetomanage.I had
a fewdaysontheMorningtonPeninsula
whichI lovebecauseI doa lotof
gazingoutovertheocean– gazing
timeis veryimportant.I havea great
needforquietnessin mylife,which
I don’tgetveryoften.
“Ilovethebigskiesandtheseasof
Australia,”sheadds.“Ifindit very
beautiful,andthepeopleareso
relaxedandyetstillsparky.Thelack
ofreverencehereis soengaging.I’m
tryingtostaya littlebitlongereach
timeI comebecauseit’ssucha big
placeandthere’ssomuchtosee.”
Bakedwithloveandgrief
It hasbeen 20 yearssinceNigellaLawson
burstintoourkitchens.Neverin her
wildestdreamscouldshehaveimagined
thatHowto Eat– pennedto memorialise
hermotherVanessaSalmonandsister
Thomasinawhomshenurtured
throughbattleswithcancer– would
catapulthertoinstantstardom.
“Ireallywroteit formyself,to
rememberthem,topouroutallofthe
grief,I think,”shesays.“Icouldnever,
everhaveimaginedtheresponse,and
tobehonestI don’tthinkI could’ve
writtenit if I’dimaginedwhatthe
responsewouldbe.It would’ve been
utterly paralysing.
“Iwrotethisassomeonewhocooks
at homeforotherhomecooks.I don’t
haveanyparticularskillsandI don’t
likeanyonetoreadit thinkingI do.I
don’twantpeopletoexpecttoomuch
becauseI’mnotanexpert,andI don’t
knowthetechnicalitiesofcooking.
I justdealwiththeflavour,whichis
whyit workedI think.”
Howto Eatsoldover300,000copies
andledtohereponymoustelevision
shows.PriortohertriptoAustralia,
Nigellarecordedanaudioversionof
herdebutwork.“Ihadsucha jaw-ache
fromtalking,it’sa verylongbook!”
shelaughs.
Thesecretofhersuccess,shesays,is
toremaintotallyunplanned.“Idon’t
everliketoplantoomuch.I’mnot
strategicandI’veneverlookedfor
thenextgapin themarket.I justdo
whatevertakesmyfancy– I writethe
booksI wanttowrite.I neverwantto
writea recipeforthesakeoffillinga
gap– I havetowanttocookit myself.
It wouldmakemeverydeflatedto
worktoa formula.”
Althoughshearguesit’sbeen
somewhataccidental,NigellaLawson
wasprobablyalwaysdestinedforlife
in thepubliceye.Hermother,Vanessa,
washeirtothefamousBritishfood
andcateringbusinessJ Lyons&Co;
herfather,Nigel,oneofBritain’smost
powerfulpoliticalfiguresasChancellor
oftheExchequer,wasright-handman
toPrimeMinisterMargaretThatcher.
Atthetimeofourinterview,Britain
is embroiledin thehistoricBrexit
negotiationsandI askwhatit waslike
growingupat thecoal-faceofpolitical
life,giventhecurrentsituation.
“Iwas 14 whenmyfatherwentinto
politics and I don’t have the samepoliticalopinionsasmyfather,”she
sayschoosingherwordscarefully.“It’s
anoddtimetobeawayfromtheUK
rightnow,butI followthingsvery
closely– youhavetotakeaninterest
in politics.
“WhenI wasyounger,peoplewith
alldifferentviewsoftheworldmixed
andgotalongandrespectedandenjoyed
oneanother’scompany.Nowwedon’t
seemto dothat.I’mafraidwelivein a
worldnowwheredifferencesofopinion
aren’ttolerated,whichis a greatshame.
It’sdifficulttoseehowwecanresolve
thingswheneverythingis sopolarised.
Westickwithpeoplewhosharethesame
viewsandthatworriesme.I don’t
thinkthatsomeonewhohasa different
opinionis anevilperson,they’rejust
someonewitha differentopinion.”
Infact,shewelcomesrobustpolitical
discussionaroundherdinnertable.
“Nothingis offlimitsat mydinner
table,andpoliticsis verymuchallowed.
TheonlythingI don’ttolerateis people
beingontheirphones.I thinkoneof
themostimportantthingsarounda
dinnertableis conversation.If the
bestthingaboutthedinnerpartyis
thefood,thenit hasn’tbeena great
success,theconversationis vital.”Baggyclothesandsolitude
There’snota daythatgoesbythat
Nigellaisn’tphotographedorfollowed
bythepaparazzi.Herpicturesregularly
appearin thepagesof gossipmagazines
andtabloidpaperswitheverydetail
ofherliferakedovermercilessly,
fromtheshockingattackbyformer
husbandCharlesSaatchioutsidea
Londonrestaurantandthesubsequent
detailsoftheiruglydivorce,including
allegationsofdruguse.
She’sweatheredeverystormand
nevercomplainsaboutthespotlight,
butperhapsshegavea hintofher
thoughtsonlifein thepubliceye
whensherecentlyretweeteda graffito
froma wallin Manchester.It read:
“Inthefutureeveryonewillwantto
beanonymousfor 15 minutes”.It
wasartistBanksy’sre-imaginingof
thefamousAndyWarholquote.
“YesI lovethat!”sheenthuses.
“Youcan’tescapetheworldany
more. I try not to be guarded, my→“I really
wrote it for
myself, to
remember
them, to pour
out the grief.”