Nigella Lawson reveals the part of Christmas dinner she considers 'madness'
Watch: Nigella Lawson speaks on overindulgence at Christmas
Nigella Lawson has revealed what part of Christmas dinner she considers "a madness" and discussed what can be the "obscene overindulgence" of the festive season.
The celebrity cook and food writer, loved for her pronunciation of ‘mee-cro-wah-vay’, 62, appeared on Thursday 22 December's episode of The News Agents podcast with hosts Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel.
"I think people have got used to the idea that adding more and more and more makes it better, when it doesn't, it probably makes people not appreciate the few things that make it into a feast anyway," she says.
"Perhaps the most important, as far as I'm concerned, is the roast potatoes."
And when Maitlis asked what she would get rid of, Lawson didn't hold back with the answer.
Read more: What the Royal Family eats and drinks at Christmas, according to experts
"I don't know why people do starters for Christmas lunch. I mean I never have, that seems a madness," Lawson says candidly.
"But," she adds, "I also think there is a way in which for many people it does become a sort of obscene overindulgence. So, people are not eating because it is pleasurable.
"They’re eating because somehow people feel it is when they should be eating non-stop and picking at things non-stop."
When Sopel questioned her with, "We're talking greed and gluttony here, aren't we?" Lawson was also quick to respond.
Read more: Eight classic Christmas cooking mistakes – and how to fix them
"Yes, but they can go too far too, when you want to feel full up and grateful that you feel full up, but you don’t want to be a bloated wreck."
Lawson also said she wouldn't be dishing out Christmas presents to everyone this year, explaining to Maitlis and Sopel what she plans to do instead.
"Celebrating food with your family is something we all, if we can do, should do it and do it gratefully. But I certainly feel I am not interested in this year buying people who don’t need things presents… You can give them a card to say I’ve donated in your name in lieu of a Christmas present… so you can feel like you’re doing something…
"You want to celebrate being with your family in ways that we haven’t been able to, but you don’t want it to tip into the obscene."
Read more: The late Queen's mince pie recipe, as revealed by royal pastry chefs
While Lawson might be less than keen on starters, the author of Nigella Christmas seems to be a fan of classic main dishes and all the trimmings, as well as desserts. She regularly shares her #RecipeOfTheDay with her near three million Instagram followers, with recent festive additions including her Spiced and Superjuicy Turkey, My Mother’s Bread Sauce, Red Cabbage with Cranberries, Italian Christmas Pudding Cake, and gluten-free chocolate Yule Log.
She shares two children, Cosima Thomasina Diamond, 28, and Bruno Paul Diamond, 26, with her first late husband John Diamond, and divorced her second husband Charles Saatchi in 2013.
Listen to the full interview on The News Agents podcast this evening on Global Player.
