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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/24\/world\/europe\/nigella-lawson-great-british-bake-off-uk.html?emc=edit_nn_20260924&nl=the-morning&segment_id=226986",
    "parsed_content": "AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTA Sweet, Salty, \u2018Sumptuous\u2019 Recipe for \u2018Bake Off\u2019: Just Add Nigella LawsonThe British food writer \u2014 who brought the world the most creative possible pronunciation of \u201cmicrowave\u201d \u2014 has joined the show. By all accounts, she\u2019s on fire. (In a good way.)Listen \u00b7 5:51 min Share full articleNigella Lawson, second from right, spiced up the traditional coziness on \u201cThe Great British Bake Off,\u201d which just kicked off its 17th season. Credit...Press Association, via Associated Press ImagesBy Amelia NierenbergAmelia Nierenberg, who made a perfectly passable blueberry rhubarb crumble this week, reported from London.Sept. 24, 2026, 5:18 a.m. ETSee more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google \u201cBake Off\u201d is back and buzzing over a new treat: Nigella Lawson.The British phenomenon \u2014 a description that could apply to either Ms. Lawson, a 66-year-old titan of British food media, or \u201cThe Great British Bake Off,\u201d the beloved reality television show hosted in a tent \u2014 set the country afire on Tuesday night with the debut of the 17th series.In the first episode, which is coming to the United States on Friday under its Americanized name, \u201cThe Great British Baking Show,\u201d Ms. Lawson brings the poise. And her signature sensual love of food is already spicing up the show\u2019s traditional coziness.She reigned supreme over the first challenge: A \u201csumptuous\u201d chocolate stout cake, in honor of her famous Chocolate Guinness cake.\u201cCould there be a more Nigella word than \u2018sumptuous\u2019?\u201d quipped Alison Hammond, one of the hosts, explaining the task to the amateur bakers in the clip below.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMs. Lawson, ever ready, took the bait.\u201cOK,\u201d she said, flashing her eyes around the room. \u201cI want it really sumptuous.\u201dThe horde of amateur bakers taking part in Episode 1 \u2014 who range in age from 21 to 67 and speak with a bouquet of accents from across Britain \u2014 raced to impress.And Ms. Lawson, ever regal, dished out advice through the often-chaotic episode. There were a few tears, and even a few tumbles, and that\u2019s all we\u2019ll be forking over in the way of spoilers.\u201cIf you\u2019ve got the cherries, you can hide a multitude of sins,\u201d she advised generously, as a baker fretted that her cake could stick to the pan.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTThen it was time for the judging.With tempered criticism, Ms. Lawson staked her claim as good cop to her co-judge Paul Hollywood\u2019s bad cop, who has become something of a Simon Cowell of the pastry world with his reliably gruff smack-downs.Mr. Hollywood may bluntly call a cake overcooked or flavorless. Ms. Lawson seems to prefer a compliment sandwich: This is lovely, it could improve, but good effort overall.She took a stand over a peanut and caramel concoction. Mr. Hollywood, she said, might have preferred a neater bake. (The frosting had smeared over the stacked crumb.) But not Ms. Lawson, a former columnist for The New York Times and a food star for decades.\u201cI like a bit of goo,\u201d she purred, leaning against the counter. \u201cIt looks irresistible, doesn\u2019t it?\u201dShe took a big bite. \u201cSensational,\u201d she rasped, her eyes wide.She took another bite. \u201cI\u2019m in heaven.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMostly, so are the British papers.\u201c\u2018Bake Off\u2019 and Nigella are a match made in heaven,\u201d drooled The Telegraph.\u201cThe Domestic Goddess is easily the best thing that could ever have happened to \u2018Bake Off,\u2019\u201d raved Metro.\u201cCan Nigella buck the trend for modern enshittification of all things and give us the sanctuary we crave?\u201d asked The Guardian, breathless. \u201cYes, my friends. Yes, she can.\u201dMs. Lawson, who studied medieval and modern languages at Oxford, began her career as a writer and editor before rebranding as a powerhouse of cooking and food, publishing the best-selling \u201cHow to Eat\u201d in 1998 and \u201cHow to Be a Domestic Goddess\u201d in 2000. Along with many other viral moments in her cookery show career, she famously brought the world the most creative possible pronunciation of the word \u201cmicrowave\u201d in 2020. (For the avoidance of doubt, it was playful, as she later explained: \u201cI do say it like that, but not because I think that\u2019s how it\u2019s actually pronounced.\u201d)AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTIn her new role, she is following in the steps of Mary Berry, now 91, who was the face of the show from 2010 to 2016, and Prue Leith, now 86, who passed the torch to Ms. Lawson with a \u201cDoctor Who\u201d nod in the clip below.\u201cThe Great British Bake Off\u201d has changed over the years since it was first broadcast on the BBC in 2010 \u2014 and changed British baking along with it. The so-called \u201cBake Off Effect\u201d set off a wave of home baking, a boost in the ambition of baked goods in British cafes and more room for diverse flavors in the pastry mainstream.It is too early to know how Ms. Lawson will settle into a rhythm with the other stars, Mr. Hollywood, Ms. Hammond and Noel Fielding.It seems clear, however, that she will be quietly nurturing of the amateur bakers, even those who really botch it.\u201cWhat Nigella has been able to do is combine rigor and intelligence and discipline with kindness and warmth,\u201d said Ruth Rogers, the owner of the River Caf\u00e9 in London.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMs. Rogers, who has been friends with Ms. Lawson for a long time, said that cooking is often a performance. Restaurants can be judgmental. Reality television is usually even more so.But \u201cBake Off\u201d has always been supportive of young cooks. And so has Ms. Lawson, she said.Sure, the contestants are whittled down, week by week, as they bake and bake and bake. Ultimately, though, everyone\u2019s a winner.Or maybe under Ms. Lawson, everyone is a subject in her new reign of sumptuous delight.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2026-09-24T09:18:38+00:00",
    "author_name": "Amelia Nierenberg",
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    "ai_simplified_title": "Nigella Lawson Joins Great British Bake Off Season 17",
    "ai_excerpt": "Nigella Lawson has joined \"The Great British Bake Off\" for its 17th season, bringing her signature style and \"sumptuous\" approach to the show. Her presence is already spicing up the traditional coziness and receiving rave reviews from British media.",
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