Nigella Lawson’s given name was originally thought up by her grandmother.
It is like the female version of her dads name.
She is game changer number 44.
Nigella was born in London England and is the daughter of Nigel Lawson , a former Chancellor for Margaret Thatcher. Her mother is was Vanessa Salmon the heiress to the J. Lyons & Co. fortune. Nigella grew up mostly in Kensington and Chelsea where she lived a luxurious life-style. Her folks divorced in 1980 and that is the time when Nigella didn’t get along well with her father.
She didn’t get along well with her mother until she was an adult and this contributed to her unhappy childhood. Her mother died of liver cancer when Lawson was only 25. Also tragically her sister Thomasina died of breast cancer in 1993 .
Nigella moved around a lot from age 9 to 18 she went to nine different schools.
She worked for many department stores and graduated from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford with a degree in mediaeval and modern languages. Lawson soon started work as a book reviewer and restaurant critic.
Later she worked for the Sunday Times.
In 1998 She wrote her first cook book How to Eat.
In 1999 she started hosting her cooking series Nigella Bites.
It was accompanied by another best selling cookbook of the same name
She followed it in 2000 with another cookbook, How to be a Domestic Goddess
In 2003 She stared in Nigella Feasts.
In 2007 she hosted Nigella Express for Food Network and Nigella’s Christmas for the BBC. They both were followed by cookbooks of the same name.
Nigella and her husband Charles Saatchi live in Chelsea.
I decided to make her St. Tropez Chicken. It gets its name from the bronze like color the skin takes on when cooked.
It makes a ton and would be wonderful for any get together you have planned.
St. Tropez Chicken
Adapted from Nigella Lawson
1 chicken, cut up
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup rosé wine
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon herbes de provence
In a large freezer bag, place the chicken pieces. Combine the lemon juice, the oil and the wine, then whisk in the honey to dissolve. Pour this mixture over the chicken, and add the garlic and herbs. Seal the bag and refrigerate overnight or up to two days.
Preheat the oven to 325. Put the chicken into a roasting pan along with the marinade, skin side up.
Cover with foil and cook for 2 hours.
Remove the foil and increase the oven temperature to 425. Continue to cook for an additional 15 – 25 minutes, until the chicken is nicely browned.

The following bloggers are also featuring the recipes of Nigella Lawson today. I hope you’ll pay them all a visit. It is wonderful to see what they all have to bring to the table.
Val – More Than Burnt Toast, Taryn – Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan – The Spice Garden
Heather – girlichef, Miranda – Mangoes and Chutney, Amrita – Beetles Kitchen Escapades
Mary – One Perfect Bite, Sue – The View from Great Island, Barbara – Movable Feasts
Linda A – There and Back Again, Nancy – Picadillo, Mireya – My Healthy Eating Habits
Annie – Most Lovely Things, Jeanette – Healthy Living Claudia – Journey of an Italian Cook,
Alyce – More Time at the Table, Kathy – Bakeaway with Me, Martha Simple Nourished Living,
Jill – Saucy Cooks, Sara – Everything in the Kitchen Sink.
Next week we will highlight the career and recipes of Diana Kennedy.
Peace be with you,
Veronica
I had no idea about Nigella’s history or the origin of her name. Thanks for sharing this. My Easter dinner recipe was inspired by one of her recipes. This one looks so delicious. I think it’s interesting that rosé is used and I bet this would be delicious grilled.
Simple ingredients that pack a flavourful punch.
That opening photo just drew me in – chicken at its most welcoming. Beautifully done!
This chicken sounds absolutely delicious! I love the info about Nigella, as well =)
This looks like such a tempting dish. I’m also a fan of Nigella. In addition to losing her parents and sister, her first husband also passed away. Lots of tragedy mixed with lots of blessings in her life.
Mmmm! I’m a fan of any chicken that is sweetened a bit with honey and lemon! Looks delish … I can just see Nigella smacking her perfectly painted lips and smiling at the camera! Ha! She is a real personality, isn’t she?!
Great write up on Nigella and I love the sound of this recipe. Rosewater wine with lemon and honey…yum!! And your lovely recipe does have that golden St Tropez color!
I couldn’t find the button to post a comment so I’m hitting Reply.
I love this recipe for the ingredients and the simplicity. I’ll be making this soon to put on the dinner. Nothing better than a dish you can put in the oven a forget about.
Delicious, Veronica! Love your photos! This dish has great flavor and looks easy to make as well. Super choice for Nigella.
Yum, this recipe sounds really good – will have to try this for my family.
Simple and delicious! My family would love this chicken dish 🙂
I knew she was the the daughter of the Chancellor (about the equivalent of Treasury Secretary) I had no idea she was related to J Lyons food empire.
I generally like herb roasted chicken dishes but am curious as to wether this is a little floral in taste ? I am not always a fan of herb de Provence I think the lemon probably balances it out
I love Nigella. Though we all see this happy, perky person; she sure has had some personal tragedies to overcome. But I love her sense of self, and I love her food. This chicken is just beautiful, Veronica….and such a great post! : )
This is a really lovely recipe and I know I would enjoy it. It is a great representation of her style and facility in the kitchen. It sounds delicious. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
MMMmmyummmy! The chicken looks so good! I love all her recipes don’t involve bringing a circus into the kitchen 🙂 Great post, Veronica!
Fun post Veronica and great recipe choice. We love chicken around here and I’m looking forward to making this for the family soon. I love Nigella’s approach to food and cooking.
I’ve been making this recipe for years. It’s so good! have a couple bags of chicken marinating right now for dinner
tomorrow with our cousins. Everyone always loves it!