Nigella's Speedy Steamed Syrup Sponge Pudding

AD* | "While I have nothing against stodge, what strikes me whenever I eat this, is how ridiculously light the sponge is. All too often this kind of ‘pud’ is disparaged these days as dense even though this is far from the case.

Freshly steamed, the sponge has a feathery and open texture; it’s only on keeping that it becomes indigestibly heavy. In other words, you must make the supreme sacrifice and eat it all up at once.

This version differs from the traditional model in one way only: it’s cooked in a trice in the microwave. It’s like being rewarded for impatience! All I require with this golden treasure is copious amounts of cool double cream, though I concede there are undeniable arguments to be made on behalf of custard or ice cream.

Anyway, I have no desire to keep you any longer. The sooner you stop reading this, the sooner you can be eating it. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be positively purring with pleasure..."


* This is a hoot! It must be Nigella’s sense of humour!

Get the recipe here.

Nigella Lawson Visits Former Lyons Corner House | Who Do You Think You Are

Jan 22, 2021 | Nigella Lawson's Jewish immigrant family have come a long way from poverty in Europe and the East End to the wealth of Belgravia. Her father Nigel was Margaret Thatcher's golden boy and mother Vanessa was heiress to the Lyons food dynasty. Nigella explores the origins of the Lyons business and discovers that it was a romance in 1863 and the coming together of the Salmons and the Glucksteins that helped cement its original success as a tobacco company.

Nigella’s Christmas Breakfast Strata

Dec 11, 2023 | “I know there’s not exactly a shortage of cooking on Christmas Day. None of us is actively looking for more to do, but I want to talk to you about breakfast on this most celebratory of mornings. What you need is a breakfast you can get ready, for the most part, before you go to bed on Christmas Eve, and that makes you greet the day – and your guests – the next morning with a genuine smile on your face.

I’m inordinately fond of a strata (the title referring to the layers), which is really a cheesy, eggy bake with bread at the heart of it. There’s something so deliciously festive about it: the dark green of the spinach, the red of the jarred roasted peppers, the milky white of the mozzarella.


Get the full recipe here.

Nigellissima | BBC Select

Sep 28, 2023 | Bring incredible Italian cuisine into the kitchen and using everyday ingredients with Nigellissima. This Italian cooking series sees the celebrated chef share her passion for pasta, puddings and more. Recreate these easy to follow Nigella Lawson recipes and bring delicious Italian dishes to the plate.

Featured Nigella Lawson Italian recipes include Shortcut sausage meatballs, Italian roast chicken with peppers and olives, Pork loin with Parma ham and oregano, Sicilian pasta with tomatoes, garlic and almonds, Sardinian couscous with clams, Squid and prawns with chilli and Tiramisini.


Stream the full series with BBC Select here.

Nigella Lawson’s Super Easy Lemon Linguine | Nigella Bites

Oct 31, 2018 | Nigella shows us how to make her quick and easy lemon linguine, using only a handful of ingredients that you don't even have to cook!

Nigella's Dreamy Turkish Poached Eggs - BBC

Nov 8, 2017 | Views on YouTube: 4,094,980

Nigella Lawson's Saffron-scented Chicken Pilaf | Forever Summer with Nigella

Jan 30, 2019 | Nigella shows us how to make her chicken pilaf marinated in a cinnamon and lemony yoghurt mixture, with saffron scented rice.

Nigella Lawson's Anglo-Italian Trifle | Forever Summer with Nigella

Feb 6, 2019

Nigella's Slow-roasted Garlic & Lemon Chicken | Forever Summer with Nigella

Mar 2, 2019 | Nigella Lawson shows us how to make her glorious slow-roasted garlic and lemon chicken.

Nigella's Moroccan Roast Lamb & Turkish Cacik | Forever Summer with Nigella

Feb 22, 2019 | Nigella Lawson shows us her delicious Moroccan roast lamb and Turkish cacik

Diana's Death: Nigella Lawson Reports for Newsnight in 1997 - Newsnight Archives

Princess Diana died in a car crash 20 years ago. Here's a small taste of our coverage from the time. Before she became famous for her cookery, Nigella Lawson worked as a journalist. Here she reports for BBC Newsnight on how Diana changed attitudes to motherhood.

Nigella Lawson Facing Scotland Yard Drugs Investigation

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Police are to carry out a review of evidence Nigella Lawson gave during the fraud trial of Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo, her former personal assistants

Nigella Lawson is facing a police investigation into her admission that she used drugs after a dramatic about-turn by Scotland Yard on Saturday night.

Police are to carry out a review of evidence she gave during the fraud trial of Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo, her former personal assistants.

In the witness box, she admitted taking cocaine several times, most recently in 2010, and smoking cannabis.

However, evidence was also given by the two women claiming she had repeatedly used the Class A drug.

When they were acquitted on Friday, Scotland Yard said it would not look at her admissions or the women’s claims. She would only be investigated if new evidence emerged.

But on Saturday night Commander Stephen Watson, of the Metropolitan Police, told The Telegraph that officers would examine the “implications” of what she had said under oath and seek advice on what to do next from the Crown Prosecution Service. » | David Barrett and Robert Mendick | Saturday, December 21, 2013

A Law for the Rich, A Law for the Poor: Nigella Legacy: Drugs Amnesty for Middle Class?

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain's most senior police officer says Scotland Yard will not investigate Nigella Lawson's confession to taking cocaine, despite previous tough talk on drugs

Britain's most senior policeman risked accusations of giving his approval to middle-class cocaine use after Scotland Yard said it would not investigate Nigella Lawson’s confession to taking class A drugs.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, allowed his force to put out a bizarrely-worded statement describing Miss Lawson’s admission under oath as an “allegation” which would not be investigated “at this stage”.

Anti-drug campaigners were baffled by Scotland Yard’s lack of action, which came as two former aides to Miss Lawson were cleared of fraudulently spending £685,000 on company credit cards. Sir Bernard has previously condemned the use of drugs by the middle classes.

The trial of Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo was overshadowed by disclosures of the television cook’s cocaine and cannabis use. » | Gordon Raynor | Friday, Decemebr 20, 2013

Charles Saatchi Devastated by Nigella's Alleged Cocaine Habit and Heartbroken Over Split, Court Hears

Charles Saatchi arrives at Isleworth Crown Court

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Art collector tells a jury he was “very upset” when he was told Miss Lawson had a “severe cocaine habit” and “hated” the fact that the allegations had been made public

Charles Saatchi has told a jury of the moment he heard of his ex-wife Nigella Lawson’s “sorry depravity” as an alleged cocaine user and his “heartbreak” that their marriage is over.

Mr Saatchi said he was “very upset” when he was told Miss Lawson had a “severe cocaine habit” and “hated” the fact that it had been made public.

He also disclosed for the first time the reason Miss Lawson left him – that she felt confined by the relationship and needed a “pass” from Mr Saatchi to do things she wanted to.

During an impassioned afternoon in the witness box at the trial of two former aides accused of fraud, Mr Saatchi said he still “adored” his ex-wife and was “utterly bereft” that details of her alleged drug use had been publicised.

Mr Saatchi and Miss Lawson, who divorced in July, were accused earlier in the trial of “manipulating” the criminal justice system to sling mud at each other free from the threat of libel proceedings. But Mr Saatchi told Isleworth Crown Court in London that nothing could be further from the truth.

He said: “I’m utterly heartbroken that I have lost Nigella and I wish this past year had never happened.

“If you think this process is giving me any pleasure, you’re mistaken. I hate it. “I adore Nigella now, I absolutely adore Nigella and I’m broken-hearted to have lost her.” » | Gordon Raynor | Friday, November 29, 2013

Nigella Lawson Was 'Off Her Head' On Drugs When Approving Spending Sprees, Court Hears

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Celebrity cook Nigella Lawson was “off her head” on drugs and let her assistants spend a fortune on a company credit card to keep quiet about it, a court has reportedly heard.

The court proceedings were reported by several British media, including Sky, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent.

Our clients have been the innocent pawns in a rather unpleasant battle going on between Mr Saatchi, Miss Lawson and their lawyers

However, the court also heard that the allegation - that Lawson used cocaine, cannabis and prescription pills daily for over a decade - was “totally scurrilous and untrue”.

Two sisters who used to work as personal assistants to Lawson and her husband Charles Saatchi are on trial for fraud.

Italians Francesca Grillo, 41, and Elisabetto Grillo, 35, are accused of using the couple’s credit card to spend £300,000 ($530,000) on luxuries such as designer clothes and first-class air travel. » | Nick Miller | Europe Correspondent | Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Charles Saatchi's Multimillion-pound Art Collection Up for Sale

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Charles Saatchi is selling off part of his multimillion-pound art collection at auction just days after Nigella Lawson divorced him at London's High Court.

Fifty lots, including a four-poster bed by Tracey Emin, will be sold at Christie's Thinking Big sale in central London in October.

Mr Saatchi has not put any reserve prices on the work, which means in theory they could sell for as little as once [sic] pence.

In reality, artist's dealers will probably bid for work if it looks like they might sell for prices so low they would damage their reputation.

Many of the lots, including work by the Chapman Brothers and Conrad Shawcross, are so big they cannot be exhibited at Christie's but will instead go on show in a huge former Post Office depot in central London.

The Saatchi Gallery, which Mr Saatchi opened in 1985, has included some of the UK’s most controversial and talked-about artworks. His collection is reported to be worth £200million. » | Alice Philipson | Friday, August 02, 2013

Nigella Lawson Wears a Burkini on Bondi Beach
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: For admirers of Nigella Lawson's Rubenesque curves, the prospect of the domestic goddess hitting the beach was one to savour.

From corseted Vivienne Westwood gowns to figure-hugging cashmere twinsets, the television chef never fails to make the most of her voluptuous figure.

So her choice of swimwear for a dip off Sydney's Bondi Beach came as something of a surprise. Rather than a revealing swimming costume, Miss Lawson was covered head to toe in a burkini, the modesty-saving outfit designed for Muslim women.

The 51-year-old cut a striking figure as she splashed in the surf with her friend, comedian Maria McErlane. While Miss McErlane wore a skimpy bikini, Miss Lawson was protected from the elements in a black two-piece and peaked cap, leaving only her hands, feet and face showing.

Rather than a sudden conversion to Islam, her choice of outfit was motivated by a desire to shield her creamy complexion from the Australian sun. "Nigella was protecting herself from sunburn, nothing more than that," said her spokesman. » | Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor | Tuesday, April 19, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Kate Middleton's wedding dress? That's one for the women, says BBC's Huw Edwards: As the presenter chosen to lead the BBC's coverage of the Royal Wedding, Huw Edwards will guide viewers through every aspect of the day - except one. » | Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor | Tuesday, April 19, 2011

First It Was PC Police, Then Came the Thought Police, Soon After Came the Healthful Anti-smoking Police. Now We’ve Got the Damn Food Police! Where Will It All End?
THE TELEGRAPH: Life is dreary enough without the killjoys encouraging us to eat more margarine. Rose Prince extols the delights of the dairy.

Cherry on the cake: Would Nigella Lawson be so keen to sample the delights of her own labours if there was margarine in the mixing bowl? Photo courtesy of The Telegrraph
Last night I cooked the season's first spring greens. Just a few minutes in lightly salted water then drained on a cloth, they were as lush as a bowling green. I looked at them, knowing that there was one last, essential ritual to perform: back into a warm pan with a good sized nut of best butter. Then each bite into the tender leaves yielded a tide of sweetcream enjoyment, enough to put unpaid bills out of mind. But, spring greens and melted marg, anyone? I don't think so. That is what a panel of killjoy nutrition advisors would have you do.

The Fat Panel, an independent group of experts, has ruled that our best known celebrity chefs use too much saturated fat in their recipes and are urging temperance. A single serving from a recipe by Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay and Rick Stein can contain more than 100 per cent of the recommended daily allowance of saturated fat, they moan. Swapping butter for margarine or a vegetable oil spread would reduce the fat content of some recipes by at least half, they counsel.

What a blow they have struck. If there is one thing left in this gloomy, credit-crunched life where every pursuit is spoiled by over zealous health and safety measures, it is the comfort of eating. Cooking out of our favourite books is a cheap way to cheer ourselves up. Restaurants may be going bust left, right and centre, but cook books have come into their own. What are celebrity chefs for if not the sensuality of their hugely indulgent creamy soups, buttery sauces and rich puddings? The idea of Nigella Lawson licking a finger dipped into a bowl of cake batter made with margarine makes me feel sick, but it makes perfect sense when there is butter in the mix. Delights of Dairy: We All Need Buttering Up >>> Rose Prince | Thursday, March 12, 2009

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