My friend Andrea and I had hiked about 3½ miles before we perched ourselves atop boulders near the Brown Mountain Dam waterfall. We eagerly pulled out our sandwiches, jalapeño pimento cheese, and chips and queso we’d carried in our backpacks.
Nearby, a small group of hikers glowered at us, eating jerky and protein bars, commenting on the resplendent meal before us (which we’d purchased from local deli Maciel’s). It seemed they were rethinking their food choices. 💅
I love spending time in nature, regardless of whether I’m lounging on a blanket with a friend at a park or hauling my body up a steep fire road to summit a local peak. But the uniting factor of many of the best experiences I’ve had outdoors is great food.
You are reading The Wild newsletter
Sign up to get expert tips on the best of Southern California’s beaches, trails, parks, deserts, forests and mountains in your inbox every Thursday
Below you’ll find three hikes that will lead you to great picnic spots around L.A. You’ll see that I’m defining “picnic spots” as a place that offers enough open space to take a seat, including on park benches, picnic tables and flat ground.
Before we dive in, I’d like to remind you of something I frequently scream on trails: Orange peels are trash! Please don’t leave any food out in nature that you bring with you.
“There is a common misconception that ‘natural trash’ such as orange peels, banana peels, apple cores, and shells from nuts and seeds are OK to leave behind on the trail, in campgrounds, or in other outdoor spaces,” Leave No Trace’s Erin Collier and Brice Esplin wrote in this article. “While these things are natural, they are not natural to the places they are being left. These types of trash attract wildlife to areas with human activity, affecting their health and habits.”
Now that you’ve vowed to pack out what you pack in, let’s dive into this week’s hikes.
Oak woodlands and riparian habitats are among several plant communities in the mountains around L.A., including along the Gabrielino Trail near Pasadena.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
1. Gabrielino Trail to Gould Mesa campground
Distance: 3.6 miles out and back Elevation gained: About 300 feet Difficulty: Moderate Dogs allowed? Yes Accessible alternative: The first mile of this trail is paved!
The Gabrielino National Recreation Trail is a 28.8-mile long journey from Chantry Flat Recreation Area north of Sierra Madre all the way to Ventura Street & Windsor Avenue trailhead near the Hahamongna Watershed Park in La Cañada Flintridge. It is a multi-use trail for hikers, mountain bikers and horse riders.
The trail has several beautiful sections, including from its western entrance in Hahamongna to the Gould Mesa Trail Camp.
To begin your hike, you’ll park at a large free dirt lot near the backside of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. If hiking in a wheelchair or seeking a paved path, I recommend parking at this smaller paved lot.
You can either take the paved trail or an unofficial dirt trail that follows the Arroyo Seco before leading you to the official trail. Either way, it’s a fairly easy stroll along the Arroyo Seco, shaded by coast live oaks, bay laurels and sycamore trees. After hiking about two miles, you’ll reach the Gould Mesa Trail Camp, where you can set up your picnic at one of the campground’s tables, or nearby along the creek.
And if you’d like to go a bit farther, you can continue onward to the Paul Little Picnic Site or the Brown Mountain Dam waterfall that I mentioned above. Regardless of where you stop, I promise you’ll be treated to a stunning landscape and likely hear the chirp and squawk of scrub jays, California quail and more.
Hikers make their way up a trail to the Griffith Observatory.
(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)
2. Griffith Observatory via Fern Dell/Four Loops (Griffith Park Explorer Segment 6)
How often do you act like a tourist in your own city? Well, now’s the time!
The Fern Dell/Four Loops trail is a 4.1-mile figure-eight-shaped looping path through Griffith Park’s southern end. Although it doesn’t officially include a stop at the Griffith Observatory, that’s what I’d recommend, as it is such a serene place to share a meal with family and friends.
To begin, you’ll park in an O-shaped lot north of the Trails Cafe, where you could grab a meal to-go before heading out. You’ll head north from the lot, following the West Trail in a loop back south to the aptly named Loop Trail. After completing the Loop Trail’s loop, you’ll head south before taking the Observatory Trail on your next loop. If following the Griffith Park Explorer map, you’ll want to take note of when to turn to head to the Griffith Observatory.
If the Observatory area is busy, consider going just a little farther north to the Berlin Forest to have your picnic. Just make sure to link back up with the Fern Dell/Four Loops trail so you can not only enjoy the lush greenery in the Fern Dell area, but also make it back to where you parked.
One of many benches on the way to Mt. Thom and Tongva Peak in Verdugo Mountains.
If you’ve ever looked out your plane’s window as you flew out of Hollywood Burbank Airport, and thought, “My, that trail looks hard,” you would have been correct.
The trail from Brand Park in Glendale to Mt. Thom is a grueling dirt trail, but its payoff includes stunning views of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys and San Gabriel Mountains. And along the way, you’ll find benches and other lookout spots that would make for epic picnic spots. (Plus, if you do it, you could brag from your plane window, “I hiked up there and had these great tacos from that very peak!”)
To begin your hike, you’ll park near the Miss American Green Cross statue before heading northeast up the trail. Please note that there isn’t any water access on the trail, and it has limited shade outside of its lookout points with benches, which you’ll reach just under a mile in.
You’ll reach Mt. Thom about half a mile farther, but it will be a steep half mile. Keep going for about three-quarters of a mile, and you will find a quick offshoot that’ll take you to Tongva Peak. This is a fabulous place to relax, take in the views and, most importantly, eat.
If you’d like to skip the steep section, I’d recommend parking near the Sunshine Preserve, a critical wildlife passageway managed by the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy. From here, you’ll take Sunshine Drive up to Las Flores Motorway, which offers an easier incline to reach Mt. Thom and Tongva Peak.
Either way, you should spot some benches and flat areas to take a seat or lay out a blanket and enjoy the expansive views of Glendale, Burbank and the cities beyond there. I promise: Your meal will taste even better after the climb to Mt. Thom — especially since it won’t be just jerky or a protein bar!
3 things to do
Runners participate in a previous 4 Mile Hill Challenge run.
(Aztlan Athletics LLC)
1. Frolic for feathered friends in L.A. Athletes from beginner to elite have until Friday to sign up for Saturday’s 4 Mile Hill Challenge, a trail run and walk in Ernest E. Debs Regional Park. Proceeds from the race benefit the Audubon Center at Debs Park. Race onlookers can partake in bird-themed activities as they cheer on their athletes. Register at 4milehillchallenge.com.
2. Get moving in Montebello Montebello Outdoor Adventures will host a hiking trip from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Puente Hills Preserve. Guests will meet at the Cathy Hensel Youth Center (236 S. Taylor Ave. in Montebello) before being taken by free transportation on the day trip. Registration is required. Register at montebellorecreation.com via the Trips and Tours page.
3. Foster the forest in Sunland-Tujunga The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter will host a volunteer workday from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday in Sunland-Tujunga. Volunteers will water and mulch four or more trees, helping them stave off disease or death, especially in hotter months. Participants should bring gloves and sun protection. Tools provided. Location released upon registration. Register at act.sierraclub.org.
The must-read
A motion-sensor camera captures an adult female mountain lion in the Verdugo Mountains in 2016.
(U.S. National Park Service via Associated Press)
I continue to be amazed by the ongoing legacy of P-22, L.A.’s dearly departed lion king. On Thursday, the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted to list six specific mountain lion populations — more than 1,400 pumas — in Southern California and the Central Coast as threatened under state law. “Hemmed in by freeways and housing, cougar clans in the Santa Monica and Santa Ana mountains — both included in the listing — have a 16% to 28% chance of extinction in 50 years if they aren’t able to reach lions to mate with in other areas, providing genetic diversity,” wrote Times staff writer Lila Seidman. It’s hard to imagine this happening without the advocacy for mountain lions stimulated by P-22, whose memorial in 2023 lasted more than three hours and drew thousands of guests.
Happy adventuring,
P.S.
Do you have a story of love on the hiking trail? Did someone break up with you atop a mountain? Or perhaps it was a marriage proposal on a peak! On April 3, The Times will host L.A. Affairs Live, a competition show featuring real dating stories from people living in the Greater Los Angeles area. The event is a spin-off of our popular dating and romance column of the same name. Seven to 10 storytellers will be selected to perform 5- to 7-minute relationship stories related to the theme of “Starting Fresh.” A live audience will choose the winner. The winner will get a written version of their story published as an L.A. Affairs column and receive a $400 payment. So, do any of our Wild readers have a lowercase-wild story to tell? Learn more about how to audition here. The deadline to submit is midnight Sunday!
For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.
EXCLUSIVE: Death in Paradise star Don Gilet has spoken out about new cast member Catherine Garton who plays Sergeant Mattie Fletcher
Teaser clip ahead of new Death in Paradise series
Death in Paradise’s detective Don Gilet, who portrays Mervin Wilson in the BBC series, has praised new police officer Catherine Garton, who takes on the role of Sergeant Mattie Fletcher.
Mattie is the latest addition to the Saint Marie force and steps into the shoes of Darlene Curtis, previously played by Ginny Holder. Ginny made a quiet exit from the show after only appearing via video link in the Christmas special.
In an exclusive chat with Reach PLC and other media outlets, Don discussed the upcoming series and his experience of welcoming a fresh face to the squad.
He began by stating that Darlene was not replaced, as “you cannot replace that character”. He elaborated, “It was just the new character coming in, just a completely different energy that we weren’t expecting.
“The arrival of Mattie surprises us all as characters, and she’s a very colourful and larger-than-life character as well. So it’s always great,” reports the Express.
“It’s just the same as when new characters come in per episode, it sort of keeps things fresh, keeps the characters on their toes, brings some new and different energy in with a new storyline to go with it.”
He continued, “And again, not giving too much away, but you find out things about Mattie bit by bit as she tries to connect with her colleagues, the same way I tried to connect with my colleagues, and it didn’t happen very easily.
“She’s a great character to work with, and there’s a rebelliousness to the character that Catherine brings, which in some ways is similar to the way that Mervin works.
“So I wonder if there’s just a little tinge of admiration for the way she works that is a bit unorthodox.”
The synopsis for tonight’s episode, available to stream on BBC iPlayer, states: “A reclusive pensioner is shot dead in his home, and a figure matching the description of an unassuming accountant was witnessed fleeing the crime scene.”
It continues: “However, the suspect has a rock-solid alibi. Meanwhile, the commissioner is determined to get the islanders back on side with a community-focused initiative, but tensions rise when Mervin goes rogue during the launch event.”
Matt Weston and Tabby Stoecker make history as they claim gold in the mixed team skeleton at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Weston becomes the first Team GB athlete to win two gold medals in a single Winter Olympics.
WATFORD may not be top of your staycation bucket list, especially after it was named one of the UK’s worst big towns.
Ranked poorly by The Telegraph, it was slated for its its ‘concrete centres and bad vibes’.
Sign up for the Travel newsletter
Thank you!
The blue glass pyramid, home to the Cotswold outdoor clothing and camping equipment shop, High Street, Watford, Hertfordshire, England, UKCredit: AlamyI grew up near Watford so always visited as a kidCredit: Sophie SwietochowskiIt was slammed for being a concrete jungleCredit: Alamy
They might not like it, but as a local – I’m 30 mins down the M1 from there – I feel the need to jump to its defence.
I look at the town with an air of nostalgia because – believe it or not – some of the highlights of my childhood were spent in Watford.
In my teens, it was the closest thing to an action-packed city we had, unless we wanted to trek into London, which quite frankly was a cost my pals and I didn’t want to incur, plus our parents all worried about our safety in the big smoke.
Days were spent at the Harlequin shopping centre, which had all the top high street shops but without the London crowds. Mum would take me here in early school years to buy new shoes from Clark’s.
I’d watch the Disney movies in shoe heaven while mum and the shop assistants liaised over styles and measured how much my tootsies had grown.
But I think it is a great place to visit if you don’t want to head into LondonCredit: AlamyI spent my weekends there as a childCredit: Alamy
I spent weekends as a season ticket holder watching Watfords now distinctly average football team play on its home turf, stopping for chippies to celebrate (or commiserate) post game.
When I turned 17, my pals and I graduated from the shops to the clubs and bars.
In the 2000s party glory days, we’d grab our glad rags and the tallest platform heels we could find, starting at Vodka Revolutions where shots were cheap as chips, then heading on to one of the mega clubs like Oceana or Area (both now gone).
Most read in Best of British
We wouldn’t walk between venues, instead we’d hop on a bicycle tuktuk, just like the fairy-light clad ones you find in London, only cheaper.
Top Golfwas another cherished activity at the weekends.
The experience is still there today, home to a lively bar and several putting stations.
You don’t have to be good at golf to play, the aim of the game is to whack the balls into targets laid out on the vast green ahead.
Admittedly, I don’t visit Watford as frequently nowadays as most of my time is spent either close to my office in London Bridge, or my hometown, when I’m not off travelling the world.
But it still holds a charm nonetheless. And well worth a visit.
Potter fans will be blown over by what’s on offer here and you can pick up some wizarding treats seen on screen and read in the books, like butterbeer, before getting a first hand look behind the magical scenes seen on screen.
Don’t forget to pull a squealing mandrake out of the dirt and explore the Dursley’s house in Privet Drive.
There’s a decent restaurant scene now, too.
Humo is a great option for meat lovers with grubs scorched over an open flame.
The shopping is still decent – and less busy than those in London!
And little kids can take advantage of a Vue cinema and pottery painting while older ones test their nerve at indoor go karting or ninja warrior adventure.
So even if Watford is a little rough around the edges and not the prettiest place to look at, it’s still got it perks.
One things for sure, you’ll never get bored. But I do wish they’d bring back those booming clubs
Pedestrianised Watford High Street, Watford, Hertfordshire, England, United KingdomCredit: Alamy
Team GB skier Gus Kenworthy says he has received death threats after posting a graphic message about the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement organisation – commonly known as ICE.
Kenworthy shared the image – in which ‘ICE’ was preceded by an expletive – on Instagram a week before he was due to compete at the Winter Olympics in Italy.
The 34-year-old was born in Chelmsford but grew up in America and won silver in the ski slopestyle at the Sochi 2014 Games, before switching allegiance to Team GB in 2019.
In a new post on Instagram, Kenworthy said there had been a lot of “encouraging” support but that he has also received death threats.
“The other day I posted a photo with my thoughts on ICE and that photo has since gone everywhere – and I’ve gotten a tonne of messages and most of them honestly have been supportive and encouraging,” Kenworthy said in a video., external
“But a lot of the messages have been awful, people telling me to kill myself, threatening me, wishing they’ll get to see me blow my knee or break my neck during my event, calling me slurs… it’s insane.”
Kenworthy will feature in the men’s snowboard halfpipe event, with qualifying beginning on 19 February in Livigno, Italy.
For months, United States President Donald Trump has called him a “sick man” and an “illegal drug leader”.
But on Tuesday, Trump welcomed his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, to the White House for their first face-to-face meeting in Washington, DC.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
Both leaders hailed the meeting as productive, while acknowledging the lingering tensions that divide them.
At a news conference after their meeting, Petro waved away questions about his rocky history with Trump, whom he has publicly accused of human rights violations.
Instead, he called the interaction “ a meeting between two equals who have different ways of thinking”.
“He didn’t change his way of his thinking. Neither did I. But how do you do an agreement, a pact? It’s not as between twin brothers. It’s between opponents,” Petro said.
Separately, Trump told reporters from the Oval Office that he felt good about the meeting. “I thought it was terrific,” he said.
On the agenda for the two leaders were issues including the fight against transnational drug trafficking and security in Latin America.
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s meeting.
A White House charm offensive
Over the past year, Trump has invited the media to participate in his meetings with foreign leaders, often holding news conferences with the visiting dignitaries in the Oval Office.
Not this time, however. The meeting between Trump and Petro lasted nearly two hours, all of it behind closed doors.
But the two leaders emerged with largely positive things to say about one another.
In a post on social media, Petro revealed that Trump had gifted him several items, including a commemorative photograph of their meeting accompanied by a signed note.
“Gustavo – a great honor. I love Colombia,” it read, followed by Trump’s signature.
In another post, Petro showed off a signed copy of Trump’s book, The Art of the Deal. On its title page, Trump had scrawled another note to Petro: “You are great.”
“Can someone tell me what Trump said in this dedication?” Petro wrote jokingly in Spanish on social media. “I don’t understand much English.”
A turning point in a tense relationship?
Petro’s joke appeared to be a cheeky nod to his notoriously rocky relationship with Trump.
It was only six days into Trump’s second term, on January 26, 2025, that he and Petro began their feud, trading threats on social media over the fate of two US deportation flights.
Petro objected to the reported human rights violations facing the deportees. Trump, meanwhile, took Petro’s initial refusal to accept the flights as a threat to US “national security”. Petro ultimately backed down after Trump threatened steep sanctions on imported Colombian goods.
They continued to trade barbs in the months since. Petro, for instance, has condemned the deadly US attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, comparing the strikes with murder.
He has also criticised Trump for carrying out a US military offensive in Venezuela to abduct then-President Nicolas Maduro. That attack, Petro said, was tantamount to “kidnapping”.
Trump, meanwhile, stripped Petro of his US visa following the Colombian leader’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly, where he criticised the US and briefly joined a pro-Palestinian protest.
The Trump administration also sanctioned Petro in October, blaming the left-wing leader for allowing “drug cartels to flourish”.
After removing Maduro from power on January 3, Trump offered a warning to Petro: he had better “watch his a**”. The statement was widely interpreted to be a threat of military action against Colombia.
But Trump and Petro appeared to have reached a turning point last month. On January 7, the two leaders held their first call together. Tuesday’s in-person meeting marked another first in their relationship.
Agreeing to disagree
Despite the easing tensions, the two leaders used their public statements after the meeting to reaffirm their differences.
Trump was the first to speak, holding a news conference in the Oval Office as he signed legislation to end a government shutdown.
The US president, a member of the right-wing Republican Party, used the appearance to reflect on the political tensions the two leaders had in the lead-up to the meeting.
“He and I weren’t exactly the best of friends, but I wasn’t insulted, because I’d never met him,” Trump told reporters.
He added that Tuesday’s meeting was nevertheless pleasant. “I didn’t know him at all, and we got along very well.”
Petro, meanwhile, held a longer news conference at the Colombian Embassy in Washington, DC, where he raised some points of divergence he had with Trump.
Among the topics he mentioned was Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which the US has supported, and sustainable energy initiatives designed to be carbon neutral. Trump, in the past, has called the so-called green energy programmes a “scam”.
Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing leader, also reflected on his region’s history with colonialism and foreign intervention. He told reporters it was important that Latin America make decisions for itself, free from any outside “coercion”.
“ We don’t operate under blackmail,” he said at one point, in an apparent reference to Trump’s pressure campaigns.
Differing approach to combating drug trafficking
One of the primary points of contention, however, was Petro’s approach to combating drug trafficking.
Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, responsible for 68 percent of the global supply.
The Trump administration has used the fight against global drug trafficking as a justification for carrying out lethal military strikes in international waters and in Venezuela, despite experts condemning the attacks as illegal under international law.
It has also stripped Colombia of its certification as an ally in its global counter-narcotics operations.
Trump’s White House has said it will consider reversing that decision if Petro takes “more aggressive action to eradicate coca and reduce cocaine production and trafficking”.
But Petro has rejected any attempt to label him as soft on drug trafficking, instead touting the historic drug busts his government has overseen.
He made this argument yet again after Tuesday’s meeting, claiming that no other Colombian administration had done as much as his to fight cocaine trafficking.
Rather than take a militarised approach to destroying crops of coca, the raw ingredient for cocaine, Petro argued that he has had more success with voluntary eradication programmes.
This push, he said, succeeded in “getting thousands of peasant farmers to uproot the plant themselves”.
“These are two different methods, two different ways of understanding how to fight drug trafficking,” Petro said. “One that is brutal and self-interested, and what it ends up doing is promoting mafia powers and drug traffickers, and another approach, which is intelligent, which is effective.”
Petro maintained it was more strategic to go after top drug-ring leaders than to punish impoverished rural farmers by forcibly ripping up their crops.
“I told President Trump, if you want an ally in fighting drug trafficking, it’s going after the top kingpins,” he said.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during a news conference at the Colombian Embassy in Washington, DC, on February 3 [Jose Luis Magana/AP]
A Trumpian note
Tuesday’s meeting ultimately marked yet another high-profile reversal for Trump, who has a history of shifting his relationships with world leaders.
Last year, for instance, he lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a public Oval Office clash, only to warm to the wartime leader several months later.
But Colombia is quickly approaching a pivotal presidential election in May, which will see Petro’s left-wing coalition, the Historic Pact, seek to defend the presidency against an ascendant far right.
Petro himself cannot run for consecutive terms under Colombian law. But there is speculation that Tuesday’s detente with Trump may help Petro’s coalition avoid US condemnation ahead of the vote.
Colombia, after all, was until recently the largest recipient of US aid in South America, and it has long harboured close ties with the North American superpower. Straining those ties could therefore be seen as an election liability.
While Petro acknowledged his differences with Trump during his remarks, at times he expressed certain views that overlapped with the US president’s.
Like Trump has in the past, Petro used part of his speech on Tuesday to question the role of the UN in maintaining global security.
“ Did it not show incapacity? Isn’t a reform needed?” Petro asked, wondering aloud if there was “something superior to the United Nations that would bring humanity together better in a better way”.
But when it came to donning Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, Petro drew a line – or rather, a squiggle.
On social media, he shared an adjustment he made to the cap’s slogan. A jagged, Sharpie-inked “S” amended the phrase to include the entire Western Hemisphere: “Make Americas Great Again.”
The beautiful country has been named the best retirement destination for 2026, beating Spain with affordable living and excellent healthcare
08:35, 29 Jan 2026Updated 08:37, 29 Jan 2026
Best country for pensioners to relocate to in 2026 has great healthcare – not Spain(Image: Getty)
If you’ve been considering spending your golden years overseas, there’s no shortage of things to weigh up. Thankfully, International Living’s yearly report analysed everything from living costs to how easy it is for Britons to make the move.
Crucial factors include visa stipulations, access to medical services, and the country’s weather conditions. After putting 195 nations under the microscope, the research crowned Greece as the ultimate retirement haven for 2026.
Greece boasts great weather, a thriving expat scene, and remarkably, pensioners can get a three-bedroom property with coastal vistas for just £900 a month.
International Insurance notes that Greece operates both state-funded healthcare and private medical facilities. Retirees can shell out roughly £220 monthly for private cover to access “consistently good” treatment.
“There are also high ratios of medical specialists for the population, and basic emergency care is free for everyone, even foreigners. Pharmacies, after-hours clinics, and community health centers provide more care options. In small towns and on remote islands, pharmacies are equipped to provide many medical services, including helping with small emergencies.”
Coming in at second place for 2026 relocations is Panama. The Central American nation features a bustling British community abroad, whilst healthcare comes in both public and private forms, with the latter boasting cutting-edge facilities and English-fluent medical professionals.
Favourite retirement hotspots like Spain, Portugal, and Italy also secured spots in the top 10.
When “The Great British Baking Show” returns for another season later this year, the tent will welcome a new judge alongside the freshest batch of competitors.
British cookbook author and TV personality Nigella Lawson will join the beloved baking competition as a judge, succeeding Prue Leith, who announced her departure from the series last week. “The Great British Baking Show” (alternatively titled “The Great British Bake-Off” in the United Kingdom) unveiled Lawson’s appointment Monday on Instagram. She will co-judge alongside longtime “Bake Show” fixture and bread expert Paul Hollywood.
“I’m uncharacteristically rather lost for words right now!” Lawson said in a joint Instagram post. “Of course it’s daunting to be following in the footsteps of Prue Leith and Mary Berry before her, great dames both, but I’m also bubbling with excitement.”
“The Great British Baking Show” first aired on the BBC in 2010, with Hollywood judging competitors’ bakes alongside Mary Berry. Berry departed the series when it moved from the BBC to commercial broadcaster Channel 4 and Leith began her tenure in 2017.
During her “Baking Show” days, Leith became known among fans and competitors for her affinity for boozy bakes and colorful fashion and accessories. Notably, she and Hollywood co-judged the series in its 11th season, which was filmed and aired amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leith, announcing her exit, said “Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years” and looked forward to a new chapter in her life.
“But now feels like the right time to step back (I’m 86 for goodness sake!), there’s so much I’d like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden,” she wrote, adding later in her caption that she believes her successor will “love [the show] as much as I have.”
Lawson, a former journalist and Margaret Thatcher cabinet member Nigel Lawson’s daughter, comes to “Baking Show” with some history with Channel 4. The broadcast aired her series “Nigella Bites” in the late 1990s and early aughts in tandem with the release of her book of the same name.
Her television credits also include hosting her series “Nigella Feasts,” “Nigella Express,” “Nigella Kitchen” and “Nigellissima” and judging on shows “Iron Chef America,” “The Taste” alongside Anthony Bourdain and “MasterChef Australia,” among others.
“The Great British Bake Off is more than a television programme, it’s a National Treasure – and it’s a huge honour to be entrusted with it,” she said on Monday. “I’m just thrilled to be joining the team and all the new bakers to come. I wish the marvellous Prue all the best, and am giddily grateful for the opportunity!”
