Nigella Lawson’s shares her views on the latest TikTok ‘Girl Dinner’ trend, and reveals her fears about joining MKR for another year

The queen of home cooking, back in Australia to join the final week of My Kitchen Rules, isn’t sold on the latest TikTok ‘Girl Dinner’ trend. Find out why.

We’ve drooled over Nigella Lawson’s divine dinner parties for years, vicariously taking part as she whipped up recipes for the TV iteration of her latest cookbook.

The queen of home cooking makes it look effortless as she tastes, bakes and sautes her way through her extensive repertoire – with a side of her unbridled enthusiasm – to serve up to her friends gathered around her dining table for a convivial feast.

Of course, we understand that some of that’s the magic of television, but it turns out reality is absolutely a whole lot more chaotic with a cacophony of sounds – largely phone alarm reminders – accompanying her every move.

Nigella Lawson returns to MKR for the 2023 Finale week. Picture: Seven

Nigella Lawson adores Australia. Picture: Seven.

In fact, Lawson likens herself to Quasimodo, hastening to add that’s only in terms of the mental toll, rather than any physical resemblance to the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever seen that very old film – but it’s like ‘I’m being driven mad by the bells’,” Lawson says, with a laugh down the phone from her London home.

“Even when I’m just cooking for my friends, I write everything down, I make sure I put everything on my phone. So bells are going off (with reminders) saying things like ‘turn on oven now’, ‘chicken out of fridge now’ and ‘make sauce’.”

She laughs again as she admits that’s just one of the reasons why she wouldn’t be brave enough to compete on My Kitchen Rules.

Lawson joins Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge for the finals week of the Seven reality cooking show in Kitchen HQ, which kicks off on Sunday.

But she said her leave-it-to-the-last-minute nature would also throw a huge spanner in the works.

“You’re a journalist, I’ve been a journalist for most of my life,” she says. “And as you know we tend to be slightly last minute, so I need a deadline.

“But what’s very, very important – even though I am a last-minute merchant and even though I like doing everything by the skin of my teeth in a home setting – I still like to write down what I’m going to do.”

Nigella Lawson alongside the mischievous Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge. Picture: Seven

It’s her second stint on the reality show, after traversing the country last year alongside Feildel for the first round of the home restaurants. She was excited to reunite with her French friend, but confesses she was a bit apprehensive about working with MKR’s fiery Irish judge Fassnidge.

“I was a bit worried and thinking ‘would we get on?’ – it was a bit like going to a new school,” Lawson says, adding her fears were immediately assuaged at their first meeting.

“But you know we got on really well and actually – although Colin, you know, does get quite tough – he can be teased quite a lot.

“Although he did once say ‘Oh God, you’re sounding like my wife. I’m getting nagged everywhere’.

“But I really enjoyed working with them. They do require a bit of mischief management those boys though.”

Equally pleasurable is getting to know the contestants. She’s nosy you see, so she loves chatting and having a genuine exchange with them. And gleaning tips along the way. The 63-year-old missed sitting in their home restaurants, but Lawson had a virtual taste of them thanks to her mischievous male counterparts.

She’s been quoted as saying how much she loves it when fans bring along their old cookbooks to signings. “My publisher’s probably not happy when I say this, but I always feel, bring me your old battered books with spills on. That is the best compliment,” she has previously said.

Manu Feildel, Nigella Lawson and Colin Fassnidge get ready to give their verdict in MKR finals week. Picture: Seven

So Lawson genuinely loved when Feildel would send pics from the instant restaurants capturing her cookbooks on their shelves, accompanied by entertaining videos. She relates to the home cooks, perhaps more so than her trained chef offsiders.

“In a way I understand the contestants more and I put myself in their shoes an awful lot,” Lawson explains.

“But of course, Colin and Manu have a very different experience of cooking. So it’s very interesting hearing their comments.

“I think that’s what’s good about MKR all around is that everyone’s learning something.

“I hope we never stop learning in life.”

Although she’s not super-keen on learning and adopting all of the latest whimsy. Lawson’s not among the growing legion of fans of “Girl Dinner” – the TikTok trend which is basically a plate of anything one wants. Think chips and crackers, chopped up fruit, dips, or bread, bits of mismatched leftovers. She’s not particularly a fan of the moniker either, preferring the English title of picky bits or an indoor picnic.

“But also, I actually prefer a meal, rather than picking,” she shares.

“The thing is with picking you could go on forever.

“The only time I want to graze is the worst time possible – night time.

“Talking about age, that’s something you can’t do as much.”

The only exception is a bowl of crisps – Lawson’s always happy for those.

“I’m so greedy if there are too many things, it’s bit like buffets – I can feel myself fragmenting at a buffet,” Lawson goes on to explain.

“There are just too many choices to make. It’s the same thing with the picky bits – it feels like you’re going around forever, and that’s a bit much, oddly enough, for someone who likes eating.”

It’s not quite as calm as TV suggests when Nigella Lawson’s cooking at home. Picture: Supplied

She adores Australia and plans to be back on our shores soon. Lawson politely knocks back my suggestion she spend half her time between here and her British homeland.

“I’m trying at the moment to spend six weeks each year – because I miss it when I’m not there,” she shares.

“That’s the great benefit of being older because I don’t have young children anymore, so I can.”

Lawson grows philosophical as she reflects on how changed her life is having adult children – Cosima, 29, and Bruno, 27, who have lived out of home for some time.

“You know, the thing is … it’s a bit like cooking,” she muses.

“When you cook, you have to make the best of all ingredients.

“You’ve got to use the time you have, the implements you have. And just the conditions generally.

“It’s the same thing with different stages of life.

“You make the most of each stage of life by focusing on what it will give you.

“I think one should never be thinking ‘Oh, we can’t do this anymore’.

“And for me, now I can travel more and that’s just lovely.”

So yes indeed Lawson’s keen to be back – with bells on.

MKR Finals Week; Sunday, 7pm, Monday-Tuesday, 7.30pm, Seven

Originally published as Nigella Lawson’s shares her views on the latest TikTok ‘Girl Dinner’ trend, and reveals her fears about joining MKR for another year