The Best Quotes From Nigella Lawson on The Eater Upsell

This week on the Eater Upsell podcast, we talk to cookbook author, TV star, and former restaurant critic Nigella Lawson, who just published a new book At My Table. Lawson discusses her long career in television, her thoughts on restaurant criticism today, why she needed to get out of the op-ed writing world, and her feelings on long tasting menus (“I’d rather have ground glass rubbed in my face.”).

Some choice quotes:

• On restaurant criticism: “People are insecure. No one likes to be criticized. It’s quite normal not to like it and I don’t like that bullying criticism, which is there to make the chef and everyone who works in the restaurant feel bad about themselves. But, I think you can say if you don’t think that a particular flavor combination works. I feel now, especially because when I go to restaurants ... the chef has decided to pair this pork chop with a bit of elderflower or diced plantain, I feel like saying, ‘And why? Like for a dare?’ Because I do think sometimes the pressure to come up with something new is not conducive to good food. That’s where I think a home cook has the edge.”
• On the secrets to cooking: “I always say to people when I talk to them, ‘Look, there are two basic ingredients in cooking: time and money.’ If you have not much money, you gotta spend a lot of time, and if you’ve got very expensive ingredients, then you don’t spend much time.”
• On tasting menus: “I’d rather have ground glass rubbed in my face. I really, really want to cry when I think I’m going to go and someone’s going to tell me what to eat for that long. I don’t think I could do it anymore ... Again, it goes back to are people really talented or not? A lot of people are just copying those who are talented and so, their tasting menu is not very wonderful.”
• On what drives her: “Broadly speaking, I think people are either goal-oriented or fear-driven and I’m definitely fear-driven. I don’t have an idea of where I want to go, I’m just frightened about not being able to do something well.”

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