There are plenty of reality competition shows on the air, but few have the charm of The Great British Baking Show. Folks with a Netflix subscription are currently watching a new season, which is the first since the departure of longtime judge Prue Leith. Her replacement Nigella Lawson has been getting a ton of hate online about how she eats the bakes, but I'm actually obsessed with it.
After saying goodbye to Prue, longtime Bake Off fans are adjusting to the new judge's style. This is my first time watching a full season of The Great British Baking Show, and I've found Nigella's enthusiasm for eating the bakes to be endlessly charming. She just really seems to love food, which I can identify with. Unfortunately, she's been getting some backlash on Twitter; you can see a handful of those responses below:
- "I can’t stop laughing at the way Nigella eats these cakes like she’s eating as if she’s never eaten before 😩"
- "I feel like Nigella doesn't trust the Bake Off tent cutlery"
- "Okay can we talk about how Nigella inhales/attacks these bakes on GBBO?"
- "Week 3 and Nigella still eating as if her teeth are scared of the cutlery 😭 "
- "I wish Nigella would stop talking while she’s eating 🤷♀️"
I could not disagree more with these critics. Nigella's love of eating is why I'm falling in love with her on Bake Off. If I was in the famous tent being treated to an endless supply of baked goods, I think I'd be doing the same thing. Except for maybe the treats from bread week, because most of them did not even end up baked all the way through.
Every time Lawson gets a heaping bite of a bake or offers her feedback with a mouth full it only endears her to me more. She's not perfect, she's a real person who is having an organic reaction to what she's eating. Nigella clearly loves food, and I think that's a boon for the show rather than something that should be criticized.
Perhaps the hate coming Nigella's way has to do with British manners, and the ladylike way that Prue famously tastes the bakes throughout her whopping nine seasons as a judge on The Great British Baking Show. As a newcomer to the show, I'm not making these comparisons, and am letting the newcomer charm me based on what she's bringing to the beloved reality competition series. I applaud her authenticity, and can't wait to see her taking heaping bites in future episodes.
The Great British Baking Show airs new episodes in the states on Fridays as part of the 2026 TV schedule. While some folks watch it in the background, I'm sat and paying attention to every bite and misstep of the show.
