Her first book, HOW TO EAT: The pleasures and principles of good food was published to critical acclaim in 1998. It established Nigella's relaxed attitude to food and eating and won her a wide and dedicated audience.

HOW TO EAT was the basis for Nigella's successful Channel 4 series, Nigella Bites. The second series was accompanied by a tie in book of the same name, which stayed in the bestseller lists for several months and helped to take her worldwide book sales past the 1.5 million mark.

In 2000 Nigella introduced a whole new generation to the art of baking with another bestseller, ironically titled, HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS: Baking and the art of comfort cooking. In 2001 Nigella was voted author of the year at the British Book Awards and her Nigella Bites Christmas Special went out in December that year.

Ingredients:

4 Egg Yolks
40ml Sugar
1 Vanilla Pod
250ml Cream
Enough Castor Sugar to sprinkle on top

How To Make:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.Beat the egg yolks,add the sugar a little bit at a time.Beat until light color and thick in mass.

Cut the vanilla pod open and scrape the seeds out with a sharp knife.

Mix the seeds and cream into the egg mixture.Now pour the mixture into ramekins.

Put the ramekins in a large oven proof dish,poor cold water into the dish (about 3cm high).

Bake the mixture for 30 minutes.Take out of the oven and let cool.

Now place in fridge for about 2 hours or over night.

Before serving sprinkle castor sugar over each ramekin and caramelise either with a blow torch or under the grill in a very hot oven.