She’s the Domestic Goddess known for her exquisitely indulgent recipes… but sometimes even the most elegant of celebrity chefs just wants a Greggs pasty.
Nigella Lawson was seen leaving a smart West London house clutching a bag of goodies from the high street bakery chain last week, to the surprise of onlookers.
But things are not quite as they first appear, as the kitchen whizz has signed up to be the face of the store this Christmas and was filming a festive advert in leafy Ealing.
It may be an unlikely pairing, but the 64-year-old star will receive a rumoured six-figure sum to lend her unique brand of suggestive sparkle to the company’s seasonal menu.
For the adverts, Nigella was wrapped up in a dark wool coat with a sprinkling of snow on her shoulders on the doorstep of the suburban house festooned with fairy lights.
Nigella Lawson was seen leaving a smart West London house clutching a bag of goodies from Greggs last week
The 64-year-old will receive a rumoured six-figure sum to lend her unique brand of suggestive sparkle to the bakery’s seasonal menu
Ms Lawson was spotted wrapped up in a dark wool coat with a sprinkling of snow on her shoulders as she filmed the company’s Christmas advert
Laid out on a table on set were a selection of Greggs’ seasonal hot drinks – which include orange hot chocolate and salted caramel latte – as well as chicken, sage and onion festive bakes, and Christmas lunch baguettes.
The chain’s festive menu is usually much-anticipated. Its mince pies are already in store, but it has not yet announced when the seasonal bakes will be on sale.
And this year they may sell like hotcakes as Nigella has an impeccable reputation for boosting sales.
In 2006, when she recommended goose fat as essential for the perfect roast potato, sales doubled at Waitrose and Tesco. And after using prunes in a recipe on Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen, Waitrose said sales of the dried fruit rose by 30 per cent.
Nigella and Greggs may have more in common than first meets the eye, as enjoy both unrivalled culinary success. Earlier this year, Greggs topped a poll for being the most popular fast-food chain in the UK, with its legendary sausage roll leading the pack.
Nigella also has a popular sausage roll recipe, which includes chestnuts, nutmeg and dried sage.
With 11 cookery bestsellers since her first hit, How To Eat, was published in 1998, she also has several successful TV shows to her name, including Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen.
Her pronouncements on food and domestic drudgery always draw attention – she never irons, she has admitted, prefers chocolate cake to Christmas cake, and once faced ridicule for (deliberately) mispronouncing microwave as ‘meecrowahvay’.
Most recently, she divided the nation when she revealed that she loved eating anything in bed which could be consumed with fingers or a spoon.
Whether that will extend to Greggs sausage rolls this Christmas is anyone’s guess.
