Nigella Lawson warned to 'slow down' on Bake Off by former contestant
Former Bake Off contestant Howard Middleton has jokingly warned new judge Nigella Lawson to pace herself around the tempting creations the contestants will make on the Channel 4 show from September 22.
Nigella Lawson has jokingly been warned she will need to "slow down" when taking her place as a judge on The Great British Bake Off - as she may be tempted to eat too much cake, suggests a former contestant.
Howard Middleton, 64, has served the celebrity chef, 66, some tongue-in-cheek advice, suggesting that she could get carried away with the contestants' creations, ahead of her debut on the Channel 4 show on September 22.
Asked what he thinks Nigella will find hardest about being a judge on The Great British Bake Off alongside Paul Hollywood, 60, Howard exclusively told BANG Showbiz on behalf of Smooth Spins Casino: "I think pacing herself. She needs to probably realise that there's quite a lot to get through."
He quipped: "So, I think if she finds something that is delicious, I get the feeling she'd want an extra piece. And actually, you think there's a lot of cake to go through; just slow down a bit."
The TV personality appeared on The Great British Bake Off in 2013, and quickly became known for his inventive creations, including a gluten-free passion-fruit and coconut sandwich cake, and a tea-flavoured biscuit tower shaped like a Japanese pagoda.
He was eliminated in Sweet Dough Week after then-judges Dame Mary Berry, 91, and Paul Hollywood assessed his bakes, including a date-and-hemp Yorkshire loaf and peachy buns.
For Howard, a standout memory of being on the then-BBC show is the filming process and its crew members feasting on the treats.
He said: "It's so cleverly filmed that you might occasionally get a crew member walking past in shot, but it’s choreographed so that all of the runners, producers and the camera and sound people are all slightly standing to one side, or they're behind the scenes at the back.
"People often ask what happens to all the bakes afterwards - well, if you knew how many crew members are actually there, they will either devour them immediately or leave with boxes to take the bakes home.
"It's also one of the reasons why you can't really leave much around. It's because there are so many people walking around all the time."
Reflecting on his time on The Great British Bake Off, Howard wishes he had done some things differently.
He explained: "I think you get on partly because of your baking experience, but also because they're looking for a mix of personalities and people from different parts of the country.
"So there's a part of you that thinks, 'Oh well, at least they think I'm good enough,' and actually you might still have gaps in your baking experience and knowledge, and it becomes pretty clear where your kind of weaknesses are.
"I suppose a part of me thinks I wish I'd had another year just to do a bit more preparation, just so I could have been a bit slicker and more confident.
"I think the other thing is, because you want to do so well, sometimes you forget to enjoy the experience as well. I wish I could have just relaxed a bit more. I wish I could have been a bit calmer and a bit more chilled.
"I don't think I looked particularly nervous, but as I say, a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach is still there."
