Metro columnist Adam Miller has defended Nigella Lawson's enthusiastic cake eating on The Great British Bake Off, arguing it is refreshing to see someone eat a cake with huge, gluttonous mouthfuls.
Nigella's Bake Off Debut
Earlier this month, Lawson joined the Bake Off tent as a judge for the first time, alongside Paul Hollywood. Miller writes that she has gone down like a chocolate soufflé with a perfect gooey middle, and that fans are relieved. He notes it is already hard to imagine the tent without her and a mystery why it took so long for her to get there.
However, in the age of social media, the 'Domestic Goddess' has opened herself up to new levels of scrutiny. While it is almost universally agreed she has been the best thing to happen to Bake Off since it came to Channel 4 nearly a decade ago, her large bites have rattled swathes of the fandom.
Defending the Eating Style
Miller argues that Nigella has earned the right not to care how she looks on television, and that there is nothing more attractive than someone getting stuck into food with carefree abandon. He admits he is not the most gracious eater himself, comparing his decorum to a fox rummaging through a bin when delicious food is in front of him.
He points out that women have always been policed over the way they eat more than men, and thanks Nigella for building a successful career in cooking by ignoring those standards. He says she should be celebrated for unapologetically devouring a cake she is enamoured with, and that it would be a greater compliment to a baker than any Hollywood handshake.
Impact on the Show
Miller concludes that asking her to eat any other way would be asking her to be someone else, especially when it is everything about Nigella that is making her such a treat on Bake Off. He believes her presence gives the show the chance to run for years when it was becoming increasingly stale. He adds that television needs more real eaters like Nigella, and her critics need to eat food the way it should be eaten: without a single thought in the world other than 'mmmm'.
