Bake Off has been shaken up for the new Channel 4 series with Nigella Lawson replacing Prue Leith alongside Paul Hollywood
Alison Hammond and Nigella Lawson are already firm friends on Bake off(Image: @hairbymichellesultan)
Nigella Lawson spent her breaks filming the Great British Bake Off lying on a chaise longue reading books – with the show hosts in awe and only entering her room when summoned. The TV cook, 66, has replaced Dame Prue Leith on the series, who herself replaced Berry in 2017.
Speaking about working with her, host Alison Hammond said: “Unbelievable. Yeah, she is so beautiful. When she walked in, I was like that, everyone just stops in their tracks- and looks, and you’re like. How is she that beautiful? She’s so lovely as well. Really nice.”
Co-host Noel Fielding added: “We have these little sort of shepherd’s huts that we all sort of have, and they face each other, and you can just see Nigella in her shepherd’s hut currently reading.
“She’s got a stack of books- and she sort of lies like- Cleopatra would lie. On a chaise longue. And sometimes as you’re walking by, she summons you in, and you sort of kneel down at her feet- because she lies across the whole thing- so there’s nowhere to sit. Like a child in assembly. She’s amazing.”
The pair also said Nigella’s fellow judge Paul Hollywood sometimes strips down to a vest and cook pizzas during his breaks from filming – with Alison being particularly impressed.
Speaking on the Dish podcast, Alison revealed: “He’s got a pizza oven, obviously. An inbuilt pizza oven- doesn’t he? Anywhere he goes, he wheels a pizza oven. I think when we were filming Bake Off in the bubble during the pandemic, he brought his pizza oven.
“So, he would do a pizza night- and he’d get out that big shovel, you know. And he’d always have sort of some vest top on, so his muscles would be out. He’d be getting bronzed by the fire- like an advert. Diet Coke advert. And he’d be up there with like, you know, tea towel tucked in. That got me excited.”
Hollywood has described his new Bake Off co-judge Nigella Lawson as being “warmer” to the contestants than Mary Berry.
Speaking to the Radio Times about his on-screen chemistry with his new co-star, baker Paul described her as a “very warm person, especially to the bakers”.
He said: “There’s a very nurturing nature to Nigella, which was quite strong this year.”
Comparing Nigella to the previous judges, he continued: “Mary was different to Prue, Prue was different to Nigella and Nigella is different to Mary.
“They each bring their own character to it, and Nigella is a very warm person, especially to the bakers. More so than Mary was and I think more akin to Prue.
“There’s a very nurturing nature to Nigella, which was quite strong this year. Whereas me, I suppose I’m the constant. So I remain in my position of being constructively critical.”
* The full interview with Alison and Noel is on the Dish from Waitrose podcast, out now.
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