Nigella Lawson won praise from viewers after repeatedly challenging Paul Hollywood during Tuesday night’s second episode of The Great British Bake Off.
With Biscuit Week in full swing, Danni became the first baker to leave the tent after her American-style cookies and biscuit mosaic failed to impress the judges.
The 25-year-old became emotional during her farewell, reflecting on the experience of ‘making friends with a group of strangers’.
While Danni’s departure brought a tearful moment, viewers were also focused on the apparent tension between Nigella and Paul, as she questioned him several times throughout the episode.
When Moyin revealed that he planned to use miso in his cookies, Paul commented, ‘It’s unusual to use miso in cookies.’ Nigella immediately disagreed, replying: ‘No it isn’t — the young people are doing it a lot.’
The pair clashed again when Paul described one baker’s sweet treat as ‘naughty’. Nigella responded: ‘I don’t approve of referring to food as naughty.’
Bake Off fans praised Nigella Lawson for challenging and ‘telling off’ Paul Hollywood as the judges clashed during Biscuit Week, while Danni became the first baker to leave the tent
Danni was the first baker eliminated during Biscuit Week after her American-style cookies and biscuit mosaic failed to win over the judges
She continued: ‘We have to take our pleasures where we can in life.’
Later, while the judges discussed who should go home, Paul joked: ‘How are we going to decide? Arm wrestle? I’d let you win.’
Nigella did not let the remark pass, replying: ‘No you wouldn’t, I’m the one that lifts weights.’
Viewers took to Twitter to celebrate Nigella’s confidence, with some claiming she had challenged Paul more in two episodes than Prue Leith did during her nine years on the show.
Among the comments were: ‘I like Nigella telling Paul off’; and ‘The more digs Nigella gives to Paul, the more probable it is that she will take over the show.’
Another viewer wrote: ‘Nigella has offered more feedback and challenged Paul more in two episodes than Prue did in nine years.’
A further post read: ‘Episode two and I get a sense Paul and Nigella are not besties.’
One fan joked: ‘Nigella cutting the knees out from under Paul in every episode is going to be hugely entertaining, isn’t it?’
Others pointed to ‘the lack of chemistry between Nigella and Paul’, adding: ‘You can tell Nigella & Paul don’t vibe lmfao.’
Further reactions included: ‘Nigella really isn’t a fan of Paul Hollywood, is she?’ and ‘Paul and Nigella is something else as a duo.’
Viewers quickly noticed the apparent lack of friendship between Nigella and Paul after she challenged the judge at several points during the episode
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Danni became tearful during her emotional farewell as she spoke about ‘making friends with a group of strangers’
Taking to Twitter, fans were delighted by Nigella’s assertiveness as they remarked she has challenged Paul more than Prue ever did in nine years
‘I can see why Paul Hollywood doesn’t like nigella bc she is giving proper constructive criticism unlike him.’
Another joked: ‘is it a Nigella hug rather than a Paul handshake now?’
Earlier on Tuesday, Nigella admitted she had a ‘list of reasons’ not to take the Bake Off job after the domestic goddess proved a huge hit with viewers on the new series.
The TV cook, 66, made her highly-anticipated debut on the much-loved Channel 4 show last week and she couldn’t have been more positively received by fans.
However, the star has confessed she wasn’t originally convinced she was right for the job as she didn’t want to be ‘fake’.
Appearing on The One Show on Tuesday evening, Nigella put on a friendly display in her first live TV interview with fellow judge Paul Hollywood, despite rumours of a ‘bitter battle of egos’ between the pair.
Nigella explained: ‘I had many reservations. When I had my first meeting with them, I had a long list of why I shouldn’t do it, because I felt like I had to make it clear that I am not a technical baker. I’m a home baker.
‘I didn’t want them to feel they’d come to the wrong shop. I wanted to say what I felt I could do and what I felt I couldn’t do.
Earlier on Tuesday, Nigella admitted she had a ‘list of reasons’ not to take the Bake Off job after the domestic goddess proved a huge hit with viewers on the new series
Praising Paul and his baking talent, she said: ‘Paul is a genius…He just looks at a cake and he says that needed to be another five degrees hotter and three minutes longer’
‘And I said, there’ll be no hard feelings after this meeting, if you feel I’m not what you need because I think there’s nothing more anxiety provoking than thinking that people expect something from you that you can’t give, and I don’t ever want to be a fake person and pretend I know something I don’t.’
She continued: ‘I came to baking late in life. You know, I wrote, it was meant to be ironically titled How to Be a Domestic Goddess when I was 40, so I hadn’t really baked because I was a cook.
‘Then I thought, this is easy. I don’t know why everyone pretends it’s so difficult, which is true if it’s home baking. You know, you can make it simple, and what interests me is taste and texture.’
Praising Paul and his baking talent, she said: ‘Paul is a genius, and he does it. He just looks at a cake and he says that needed to be another five degrees hotter and three minutes longer. And he knows all that.
‘What I feel like I can do is eat, and then try and explain what the taste is like or what the texture is like for people who are home. But I just think I wanted them to know that that’s it.’
Also making sure to compliment his TV other half, Paul added: ‘And you can tell she imparts that beautifully, though. You can see it on Bake Off.’
