Nigella Lawson - live webchat - Tuesday 13th December 1 - 2pm

[RachelMumsnet]

It's time for our final Christmas cookery webchat, and you won't be disappointed.... We're thrilled that the domestic goddess herself, Nigella Lawson is joining us at MNHQ for a live webchat on Tuesday 13th december at 1pm.

Just as Cranberry-Queen-Delia caused a shortage of fresh cranberries, 1996 saw the sales of goose fat rocket after it was championed by Nigella as the essential Christmas cooking ingredient. So if you want to know how to make the perfect roast potato or discover the secret to a succulent turkey, join us next Tuesday or send a question in advance to this thread.

Ahead of the webchat, we've been given permission to share Nigella's recipes for cranberry sauce and chestnut stuffing, both from her book Nigella Christmas which is now out in e-book format.

[grinningbee]

Hi Nigella

Now then. I am currently on a diet, but am having one whole week off over Christmas. I need to make the most of this one week .

Please could you tell me the naughtiest sweet type recipe I can make, preferably chocolately or fudgey... you get the idea. Something foolproof and that the children and dh might be allowed a taste of too

Thank you ever so much!

[nursenic]

Happy Christmas Nigella.

Like you,I am a collector of kitsch cookbooks. My first was 'Are You Hungry Tonight?', a collection of interviews of and recipes by, Elvis's nearest and dearest. My latest find is 'Biker Billy's Hog Wild On A Harley Cookbook' and The 'Little House On The Prairie' cookbook. I can also recommend NPR's 'Kitchen Sister's Hidden Kitchens food/recipe book.

What is your favourite kitsch cookbook?

Sneaky second question-Have you tried the NY Cheesecake recipe from the 'Juniors' cookbook? It surpasses Lindy's.

[CountessDracula]

have I wandered into Babycentre by mistake here?

[BIWIshYouAMerryChristmas]

Wow - that's rather unpleasant, eminencegrise

[LovesBloominChristmas]

[Bonsoir]

Nigella - just want to say thank you for not only providing me with a foolproof Christmas but also a foolproof Rosh Hashana! I have your other books but Feast is my favourite - so very, very useful for those meals that you rarely prepare and are a lot of faff!

[MordechaiVanunu]

Hi Nigella, your How to Eat book was the book that really got me into cooking. It totally transformed my attitude to cooking. It was inspirational.

My most used recipe ever from that is the White Tiramisu, which Ive 'tweaked' over the years to make a Christmas trifle, by adding raspberries and making in a trifle bowl. Still add the meringues on top. It always always LOVED by everyone. (thought this may be helpful for poster above who asked about best trifle ever. This is it.)

I would not fall at your feet if we met, because I am convinced that if we were to meet we'd instantly become bosom buddies (yes I'm using the word bosom deliberately) just like I would if I were to meet Caitlin Moran or Davina Macall or Claudia Winkleman.

It is merely fate that keeps us apart.

Have a lovely Christmas..

[scottishmummy]

nigella do you feel your looks and physique are branded and marketed more than the food?certainly the the accompanying imagery and photographs of you get as mch attention as the food (the covered in caramel shot seemed a bitty salacious and unnecessary to me)...doyou have editorial control over all imagery?

[Doilooklikeatourist]

Nigella , I love the books especially .. How to eat , domestic goddess and feast , the Buche de Noel is a particular favourite .
I maybe moving to a house with an Aga (!) have you cooked with one , or do you have a good book suggestion for me .
Thankyou ( my husband quite fancies you by the way )

[sandy06]

hi, I love your chocolate fruit Christmas cake (on BBC website) - I practically eat it all myself. Wondering though how far in advance you can make it - there's not much alcohol so does it go off quicker than traditional cakes? thank you

[gazzalw]

PS Your How To Eat book is the most used book in the house - love that it has my DW's and then our joint and family history ingrained in it - literally (with the dollops of gloop from various recipes) and metaphorically. It is already an heirloom in a way and will hope to pass down to either DS or DD depending on which one shows most interest in cooking!
On another note though, how did you veer off your journalistic trajectory towards being the domestic goddess that you are....It can't have been exactly what you had in mind when you went up to Oxford?

[ssd]

Nigella, why are you so gorgeous?

thats all

[CBear6]

Hi Nigella,

My husband is a massive fan of yours so I was going to be kind and give him my one alloted question but I was frankly shocked and jealous of the innuendo and nudge-winkery that he began withering on about so I've sent him into the kitchen.

I love the shows, love the books, and I'm quite frankly a lazy cook so anyone who can create delicious food with minimal effort is a winner.

My two current favourites are your Guinness gingerbread and your red velvet cupcakes (by the way, did you know that blue food dye isn't digested like the red dye? Blue velvet cupcakes produce some 'interesting' results and everyone who had some of your two year old's birthday cupcakes will phone you a day or two later to ask about these results).

Anyway. Question.

Can you recommend a fast but tasty starter for Christmas Day? At the table will be a mildly fussy two year old, someone who doesn't like cheese, another who won't eat anything spicy, another who hates shellfish, and another who dislikes peppers and chestnuts (and me, who will by that point be considering just throwing a McDonalds at them. I mean literally throwing). I need something that takes moments to prepare but will look like I've been slaving away for hours if not days.

[Bucharest]

sandy06-I can answer that for you! I made that cake last year and we finished it off this summer, so it doesn't go off at all! (if you mean the one from the Christmas book that is a fruit cake with dates and cocoa in) (I did put considerably more alcohol in mine though.

[MrsMigginslovespies]

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! Super exciting to have you here! I covet love your kitchen with all the twinkly lights and lovely larder and use How to Eat regularly.

My question is: I'm going to spend Christmas Day with my in-laws and would like to take something delicious to eat over as a thank-you pressie to them for having me/contribution of sorts that isn't just bread sauce that I'm already doing! I DON'T want to make a Christmas cake (as can't ice, won't ice) or steamed pudding, but do fancy another sort of yummy festive pudding thing (maybe involving glitter and the like). Any ideas gratefully received.

Thanks so much and hope you have a wonderful Christmas planned too! x

[champagnesupernova]

Nigella
Do you ever surf the web for pantry porn?
Lines of jars filled with lovely ingredients, beautifully ordered?

[wordfactory]

Nigella, we are huge fans in casa wordfactory. Your books are sooooo much more than cook books.

My question is do you mind sharing so much personal information? And how do you decide how much to share about others, given you are married to someone famously private?

[CarolCervix]

Hello Nigella.

I (and Delia) both enjoy raw cake mixture. Do you?

[CaptainMartinCrieff]

I love Nigella!
I'm gutted I won't be able to attend the webchat.
My question is regarding food and children... I try to cook healthy, varied and interesting food for my son but I can't get him to so much as look at a vegetable unless it's in cake (carrot cake). It's getting daft and quite frankly I'm getting worried. Do you have any tricks to get children to eat vegetables or ways to disguise them.

[CaptainMartinCrieff]

P.S. Your sticky gingerbread recipe is to die for!

[Djps]

Nigella, could you tell me how to keep pork crackling, crisp for a boxing day lunch. We are having Pork for Christmas day, with a view to having roast pork sandwiches Boxing day as part of a family buffet

Many thanks

[SantaffetaClaus]

Wow! Nigella.



Love your writing and your books. Love how your love of food shines through. Love, love, love your mince pie pastry recipe and numerous others. Love that you made baking sexy again.

Which dish of yours do you recommend for maximum umami?

[xPAULAx]

HI Nigella

We have 4 fussy eaters all under 6 years old. What can my Husband cook on Christmas day that's festive AND fun for a bunch of kids who aren't too keen on sauces? We don't want them to have just a plate of turkey and veg. What can we do to win them over? Something easy please and thank you!

Merry Christmas.