Ina Garten and Nigella Lawson recently got together in New York City to chat with fans and promote their new books. The Food Network stars also revealed some of their best dinner party tips. But Garten and Lawson completely disagreed on one crucial element.
Ina Garten and Nigella Lawson love hosting dinner parties
Garten and Lawson come from opposite sides of the pond, but they have one big thing in common—they love hosting dinner parties. While promoting their new books, the TV personalities discussed the dos and don’ts of hosting an excellent get-together. And there was plenty the two agreed on.
For starters, Garten and Lawson suggest that the host spend more time with guests than in the kitchen. “The host needs to be a part of the party,” Garten said, according to Eating Well.
“The mixture of people is most important,” Lawson added. “If the best thing you can talk about is the food, it’s not a good evening. You want the food to be lovely, but it’s there for everything else.”
Garten and Lawson also revealed they despise cleaning up after a party.
“I hate clearing the table,” the Barefoot Contessa noted.
“Doing the dishes is harder than cooking,” the Nigella’s Cook, Eat, Repeat host added.
Ina Garten and Nigella Lawson disagree on the perfect music for a dinner party
Though Ina Garten and Nigella Lawson agree on most things, they clash on one dinner party element: the music.
Garten revealed that she prefers to play music as her guests arrive and sit for dinner.
But Lawson noticed she doesn’t like background music during her get-togethers and prefers to play something upbeat afterwards. “I can’t do music except when cleaning up to disk,” she said.
Garten and Lawson also shared their opposing thoughts on holiday salads. The Barefoot Contessa surprisingly admitted she isn’t a fan. But Lawson said she loves the contrast a salad adds to a traditional holiday spread.
Both Food Network stars have new books
Along with their love of dinner parties, Garten and Lawson have much more in common. Both have hosted cooking shows for years. And they’re successful authors with books out this year.
In her new cookbook, Cook Eat Repeat, Lawson shares some of her favorite comfort recipes. “Food, for me, is a constant pleasure,” she writes on her website, nigella.com. “I like to think greedily about it, reflect deeply on it, learn from it; it provides comfort, inspiration, meaning, and beauty, as well as sustenance and structure. More than just a mantra, ‘cook, eat, repeat’ is the story of my life.”
Garten’s latest cookbook, Go-To Dinners, features some of the star’s easiest recipes. And the best part is that most can be prepared and frozen ahead of time.
“Cooking night after night during the pandemic inspired her to rethink the way she approached dinner,” Garten’s website, barefootcontessa.com, say. “And the result is this collection of comforting and delicious recipes that you’ll love preparing and serving.”