This biography was slight, compared to many others I've read, and tended towards an uncomfortable Kitty Kelley-style of dirt digging. But I do love Nigella's cookbooks, and wanted to know more about her as a person. And now I feel that I do. Smith seems to view her more as a celebrity of the moment than as a serious chef. I suppose only time will tell about that. But I know that as someone who has never watched her television show (don't have cable, or indeed tv - seems useless in this age of Netflix), Nigella Lawson has been very influential in my own cooking style. The way that she writes about food makes you want to read her cookbooks like novels, even if you haven't the slightest intention of cooking anything that evening. She is inspirational, which may count for more than technique. Honestly, if you have a copy of the Joy of Cooking, and possibly Julia Child's 2 seminal French cookbooks, you're probably set for life, as far as technique goes. What's wanted after that is someone to inspire you to cook. And that is what Nigella Lawson does best. ( )

The unauthorised biography of one of the most prominent TV cooking celebrities. I picked this up to read as I wanted to know a little more about Nigella. I found it odd that a Jewish woman, whose first husband was Jewish and who is now married to a prominant Jewish millionaire would spend so much time producing a programme telling people how to cook for the celebration of Christmas, with ham, bacon, crabcakes and other foods that are not permitted in the Jewish religion. She is famed for programmes that are known as "gastro-porn". I must say the book is one long list of celebrity names as NL seems to know and be known by everyone who is anyone, and there is a certain envious twist to the writing. Nothing in the book made me feel that Nigella is really a serious cookery writer and for recipes I will continue to rely on others, but I admire her for the way she has marketed herself. ( )