By Matt Jackson

Copyright glasgowlive

Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson has confessed to “feeling freer” as she ventures away from the UK. The culinary author first graced our screens in 1999 with her Channel 4 show, Nigella Bites.

She’s since been at the helm of programmes such as Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen and Simply Nigella. However, she hasn’t hosted a UK television show since Nigella’s Cook, Eat, Repeat in 2020.

The 65 year old has been making appearances on TV shows worldwide. She’s served as a judge on MasterChef Australia and featured on The Taste, an American cookery programme.

Despite having two grown-up children from her marriage to John Diamond, who passed away in 2001, Nigella remains based in London. She frequently spends time in Australia, where she is currently spearheading a tourism campaign set to launch this week.

In a chat with The Times, she expressed: “What is really fantastic now for me … is that I don’t have to stay home and look after people. I have perhaps six weeks a year of a different life,” reports the Manchester Evening News.

“I do feel a bit freer. There is something about that big sky that settles me in my skin. The Australians are so laid back that I’m not sure they’re much given to making a fuss. And that’s relaxing.”

Nigella, who has penned numerous cookbooks, has often spoken of her fondness for Australia. In 2022, she disclosed that the Covid pandemic had prevented her from travelling Down Under for two months.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), she expressed: “I’ve been dreaming about being back in Australia for the last two years and that dream is soon to be a reality.

“In March, I’ll be in one of my fave food cities … and I couldn’t be happier about it! See you there!”

Ahead of her Australian campaign launch, Nigella praised the country’s unique culinary culture, stating that Australia “gets into your soul” and “draws you back”.

In conversation with Globetrender, she confessed: “It’s no secret that I adore Australia from the very depths of my being. I’m not sure a lifetime is long enough to experience all of it, but I’m doing my best!

“I love its big sky, the beauty of its vast land and the blue waters that surround it, the vibrant richness of its cities and, of course, the fantastic food it offers, from its treasure trove of native ingredients to the quality of its food-producers and chefs who ensure Australia is a culinary culture like no other.

“You can’t come here only once, I’ve found: Australia just gets into your soul and draws you back.”

Nigella, infamous for her finger-licking habit on television, faced backlash as some labelled the act “unhygienic”.

However, she dismissed the criticism, stating she doesn’t view it as “vampy”, instead asserting “television is an editor’s medium”.