Nigella wows America with Taste

The British ● cooking star is being paid £ 250,000 to appear in America’s cooking answer to The Voice

It was, without a doubt, a striking first impression. When Nigella Lawson was introduced to millions of American television viewers last week, she proved an instant hit.

Certainly Lawson will have been pleased with the response, too, as she has made no secret of her desire to crack America. The positive reaction to her debut on prime- time reality show

The Taste buried reports from earlier in the week that photographs of her in the wiggle dress had been airbrushed to make her look slimmer.

The opening episode attracted 6.1 million viewers, and won rave reviews for Nigella. The New York

Times swooned over her “polish and humour” and

Time magazine praised her “passionate, telegenic star power”. Before this, the 53- year- old Domestic Goddess would have been known to only the most hardcore cooking aficionados who managed to catch her show on a little- watched cable network. Lawson is rumoured to have been paid more than £ 250,000 ( Dh1,446,248) to appear in and executive- produce The Taste, which is described as the culinary equivalent of BBC singing talent show

The Voice, as judges do “blind” tests on each dish without knowing who cooked it.

“I wouldn’t normally do reality TV but I liked the idea of doing a show that has integrity,” Lawson said. “We are trying to be constructive and convey enthusiasm. Food on TV can be dominated by chefs and, while I love chefs, to me, real cooking is home cooking. I felt it was important that home cooks be represented.”

On the show, she flirted outrageously with fellow panellists, who include chef Anthony Bourdain, a former heroin addict who is an estab- lished star in the US.

Creator Chris Coelen credited Lawson’s “down- to- earth, no- nonsense style” with making it a hit, saying: “I am sure 2013 will be the Year of Nigella in America. “She is an amazing woman to work with and she told me she’d been offered several opportunities in America over the years but that she was waiting for the perfect show.

“Her dream has always been to conquer America and she is now well on her way. She — we — are all thrilled with how well it did it the ratings.”