Any whispers of a spat between Paul Hollywood and Nigella Lawson were curtailed by a jolly nice cheeseboard and some crackers ahead of the new Bake Off
New Great British Bake Off pairing Paul Hollywood and Nigella Lawson bonded over savoury cheese rather than sweet cakes.
Lawson, 66, takes over from beloved judge Pru Leith on the 17th series of the Channel 4 institution which kicks off tonight. Hollywood – who has been there since the start – told the Radio Times: “We all sat in the hotel with this plethora of cheese and crackers and loved it.
“Nigella is 100 per cent a feeder.”
“And an eater!” she added.
There were whisperings that the duo didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but Hollywood insisted: “Nigella is a very warm person, especially to the bakers.
“More so than Mary (Berry) was and I think more akin to Prue. There’s a very nurturing nature to Nigella, which was quite strong this year.”
And Nigella feels supported by the shows’ straight talking judge: “I was a bit worried because, well, you wouldn’t mark me up for my polished finishes as a baker. But I spoke to Paul, and we got on.”
The new series was shot during this British heatwave so Nigella “walked everywhere with a parasol.”
And she gained a new fan, courtesy of Hollywood’s son. “He was employed as the fanner, ” he revealed with a glint in his icy blue eyes.
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