How To Eat: The Pleasures & Principles of Good Food by Nigella
I love to cook.
It calms me. But more than anything, it is my love language. I cook for those I love, as I feel that there is nothing which says “I love you” more than preparing nourishing, healing meals and having those you love enjoy them. For me at least.
A prominent row in my in progress library, is a cookbook row. Cooking is trendy now, everyone is a self described foodie and Instagram food curator. But I like to go back to the story behind cooking. I’m not talking about the page long paragraph about something your child did on the day or a random story that has nothing to do with a recipe on a blog post, I’m talking about that passion for cooking, what it means to make a meaningful, comforting lamb shank stew or warm, melty crème brûlée and chocolate pots to share with friends.
In eighteen years, there has been no one like Nigella.
Nigella Lawson, is someone who I’ve always looked up to. Stunning, effortless and imperfect. She taught me to add a vanilla pod to my sugar bowl, rest meat once it’s out of the oven to allow the juices to distribute, freeze lime juice, and that it is useless to heat up extra virgin olive oil to cook with.
She has a way with words that is unparalleled and inspiring. (A few weeks ago I watched nothing but her old Nigella Bites videos while doing my make-up for work and found myself later that day, describing the fundus of the eye to a group of students as a “palette of orange-red fiery hues” during a lesson on how to use an opthalmoscope. That’s the influence of listening to someone who can make hollandaise sauce sound poetic).
Admittedly, I tend to become obsessed with people of interest/things from time to time and I will say I may have been slightly obsessed with Nigella last month. I looked at her documentary and fell even more in love with her. For behind each episode and smile, was a weight carrying around loss and sadness. Yet, she found a way back to herself through writing about what she loved - cooking. But what makes her writing different, is that she didn’t approach it as a chef, she approached it as an eater.
Nigella Lawson photographed by Hashim Badani for Vogue India, November 2019.
Nigella’s first book, How To Eat: The Pleasures And Principles Of Good Food was written in 6 weeks, published in the year 2018, following a great loss. Two in fact. It was written before she hit the TV, referred to by The Sunday Telegraph as "the most valuable culinary guide published this decade.”
I knew I needed a copy right away, and when it arrived I found it was nothing like I had imagined. It is certainly not traditional. There are no pictures of food or meals in this book, instead luxurious, savory prose blanketing the pages, achieving exactly what Nigella intended - for it to seem like we were having a conversation as we cooked.
Rather than a reference book for recipes on a kitchen shelf, this book has made its way throughout the house, accompanied by many cups of Rishi Masala Chai (another current obsession) as I take part in a conversation in Nigella’s kitchen. I consume it as I would any dessert, with small, lasting mouthfuls. Relishing each line.
“I believe that food should never be thought of as mere fuel. Nor should it be venerated on the one hand, feared on the other. Turning such life giving pleasure in to a joyless, gut-ridden and anxiety provoking but necessary exercise is verging on the criminal.” - Nigella Lawson
She teaches me basics like how to roast a chicken, make a good vinaigrette, béchamel, basic vanilla ice cream. How long to cook fish, store different foods, cooking for one to cooking for 6. Cooking for children. She covers it all. Everything is neatly organized in neat tabs heralded by simple, tasteful photos of crockery.
I highly recommend this one for any one who derived pleasure out of cooking, eating or both. If I’m not mistaken she has 9 books under her belt and I hope to one day own all, for the only thing more timeless than her writing is she, herself.
Find How To Eat on Amazon here.