Catching up with Nigella Lawson before the launch of her North American tour

“Food, for me, is a constant pleasure: I like to think greedily about it, reflect deeply on it, learn from it; it provides comfort, inspiration, meaning, and beauty.” – Nigella Lawson

The post-pandemic world is opening up at an accelerated pace – and no one knows this more than internationally celebrated food author and TV culinary star Nigella Lawson, who, like the rest of us, has endured months of total lockdown.

Until now. Nigella’s raring to travel, and she’s coming to North America on a whirlwind speaking tour that’ll have her stopping in choice cities across the U.S., and one Canadian city to talk about her her love of cooking, her latest cookbook, and to answer any burning questions her loyal fans will be asking.

In a recent video chat with the Toronto Sun, Lawson talked about her excitement at getting out again, and reconnecting with everyone, particularly her fans.

“I was so very disappointed that circumstances prevented my touring last year,” said Lawson, especially as her latest cookbook, Cook Eat, Repeat, Ingredients, Recipes and Stories (HarperCollins) had just come out, and she did most of the promoting via Zoom and phone because of the pandemic.

It wasn’t the same thing, said Lawson, and this tour will allow her to discuss the book with her audience, explaining she’s particularly excited to hit the talk circuit throughout the U.S., but admits she’s disappointed that the only Canadian city she’ll be visiting is Toronto, for a tickets-only engagement in the city’s famed Massey Hall.

“You can say this is my first Canadian tour (in a long time). I love Canadians and love being in Canada. Sorry I’m not be visiting Nunavut (this time)…but soon,” she teases.

She’s delighted to chat about this latest book (she has 12 award-winning cookbooks under her belt) and what’s in her pantry, but admits the pandemic lockdown changed things for her, including the months of seclusion. Getting back to a regular routine took some time.

How has her life changed post pandemic?

“It’s difficult to say, but I think the biggest thing (I missed) was being able to travel. I missed other skies.” That said, “I didn’t mind enormously missing out. I got used to a certain amount of solitude and I needed it more than I did before the lockdown.”

That is a bit of a paradox and Lawson admits it’s “a bit of a change. I started this book back in 2019, but had to change it because of what was going on. Four months of solitary lockdown in 2020 and I felt in a way that…the words kept me company.”

The lockdown solitude also set her free to basically cook for herself, using ingredients she adores but was hesitant to use for others. “I feel that, because I do a lot of cooking for myself I could be selfish in putting ingredients that I adore in the dishes.” Like anchovies – she adores them, and used them whenever she could.

Lawson is doing the interview from what looks like her beautifully-detailed kitchen. We asked if she could peek in her pantry and name off her go-to ingredients, and Lawson obliged, peering carefully at what she has at hand.

“Anchovies for sure, as I mentioned. I would also say you can cook almost every dish with a bit of olive oil, finely grated lemon or orange zest, garlic and chilies. They add a depth and flavour to so many dishes, whether you’re going to toss some Tuscan kale with them, or start a stew. I would say almost every dish I make starts with these ingredients.”

And lemons. Lawson smiles when talking about citrus flavours. “I love these flavours, and the depth of flavour that comes with fresh lemons – we use them to add such sudden brightness to a dish…they’re my little bits, instant magic.”

She’s also big on dried herbs. “I was brought up with dried herbs, and the ones available today are so much better now, capturing more of the flavour.” The problem with dried herbs, says Lawson is that “people never throw them away. You can go into someone else’s cupboards and find they still have herbs and spices they received as wedding gifts! No wonder they taste of dust.”

Lawson recommends buying smaller quantities, and letting your imagination loose with possibilities. “I often use a bit of dry mint, which I find is far more peppery, but I might add a bit of fresh mint simply towards the end of a dish, whether it’s partnered with parsley or cilantro.

“It’s a question of finding a way of making the flavours deliver something at various different levels in the dish. You’re not just playing notes but beautiful chords when you do so.”

Any last words of wisdom, especially for those cooking-challenged?

“I would say is this – don’t set yourself up to cook something complicated because it doesn’t need to be complicated,” says Lawson. “If there’s a recipe that interests you, with ingredients that are not going to send you on an expedition that’s going to leave you exhausted, try it,” with the understanding that it’ll take a few tries before you own it, and are truly satisfied with the end result, says, Lawson.

“I think in a way you’ve got to learn to respect recipes but ignore them as well,” says Lawson. “You can only do that when you cook …you have to trust yourself.”

Nigella Lawson will be appearing at Toronto’s Massey Hall on Nov. 23. For more details, check out fane.co.uk/nigella-lawson#book