Nigella Lawson (NL): It’s a strange time for everyone, but I was very fortunate that I had work I could do at home, like the books before we made the series. I had work, I was busy, I had food on the table, and I didn’t get ill, so I’m very much one of the lucky ones and for that, I’m very grateful.

A lot of my days are as they would be without the pandemic, and centred around cooking, eating, writing, reading, thinking – but obviously it’s been much less social. But my work continues the same way, I’ll cook something – see where that leads to. I have to work in quite a free flow way. 

NL: I wouldn’t say it has changed the way I viewed food and cooking in the sense that it’s always been such an important part of my life – not just eating but the time I spend in the kitchen and also reflecting on food, thinking about it and structuring my day around it.

Of course, that intensified during the various lockdowns. I was alone for the first four months of our lockdown, so obviously what changed was that I was cooking for one rather than a table full of people. That made a difference and is certainly evident from the recipes in the series; there are lots of recipes for one. 

I feel saddened when people say, “I can’t be bothered to cook for myself.” I feel cooking for myself is so inspiring and I wanted to share that feeling with other people through the show.

NL: I suspect it’s a rather long list… But I couldn’t do without gojuchang (Korean red chilli paste), crispy chilli (a.k.a. chilli oil), chilli flakes, garlic, lemon — I think if I have these basic flavour-giving ingredients, I can really use them in all sorts of recipes and foods, and that in a way, is what makes cooking easy — knowing you’ve got the building bricks to make so many delicious things to eat. 

NL: It really depends on my mood. Sometimes I want something that’s really full of fire and depth, and I do tend to have a lot of chilli. But there are times as well that I want something milder and more comforting.

It’s about balance, even with comforting food. There’s a recipe in the series that calls for a chicken cooked in a pot with pasta and vegetables. This is a really cosy and comforting dish, but it’s still got herbs, chilli flakes and lemon in it because comforting food doesn’t have to be bland. I like flavour to be very present.

NL: I think it’s really difficult to say because everyone has a different timetable and a different way of approaching food. But for me, it’s important that at least in a week, I plan at least three dishes, sometimes more. When I cook and get the ingredients for them, what is in my mind is that the three dishes aren’t just three meals. There’s always a bit of leftover from a dish or ingredients. So I feel it’s really important to get just enough for your meals, but really use up everything you’ve got. It just makes an eating life and a cooking life more efficient, because you have the basics.

A lot of times, something can be repurposed in so many recipes, and that’s essentially how some recipes in the show came about, because I happened to have some ingredients leftover from something else, and that’s such an inspiring way to cook.

You need a structure and framework, but you also need to have enough spontaneity so what you’re cooking doesn’t get stuck in a rut or a routine. 

NL: I always say if it’s true in the kitchen, it’s true out of the kitchen. I think it’s about the balance of flavours. For me, the flavours of a dish are like that of a musical score. But you need deep notes and high notes. Somehow, it’s about making what you cook not just the sum of the ingredients, but somehow, when they’re together, they transform into something else.

Balance in terms of texture is also one of the most essential parts. What makes a good dish is one that I want to cook and eat again.

I use the word “technique” lightly, because I’m not someone who really uses techniques. But you want everything to come together — for instance, (cooking in a way) so you’re not overcrowding the stove. Sometimes you need recipes that you can put in the oven and come back later because you have work to do in between. Or at other times, you just want a recipe that takes 15 minutes, and you’ve got something delicious to eat.

NL: It’s so hard to choose – like choosing your favourite children, you know? (Laughs) The chicken in the pot with lemon and the pasta are such favourites. As well as the chocolate cookies – it’s a reminder of the time during lockdown when I was trying to make a recipe for just two cookies work.

A special recipe for me is also the lamb shank, cooked slowly and shredded up together with wide noodles and cabbage in an incredible broth made with gochujang. It really holds a special place in my heart for so many reasons. It’s one I came up with before the pandemic and would eat with my children. It’s become a lovely sort of way of keeping them around my table when they aren’t here eating it. It is so restorative and full of depth and yet so easy to make.

All recipes have a slight autobiographical element — it’s about how I was living. And that’s important.

NL: Unsurprisingly, it involves a lot of carbohydrates. The Brown Butter Calcannon recipe from the series has mashed potatoes – and that can be eaten by the bowlful. 

Noodles for me are also very comforting, and by noodles I mean pasta. There’s a pasta dish that I turn to often when I want noodles with flavour, like the pasta with chard. But sometimes, all you need is bread and cheese – it doesn’t have to be fancy, but just something I’m in the mood for.

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