Nigella Lawson Is Really Dirty in the Bed, Gets Defensive About the Quirky Contents of Her Nightstand

Celebrity chef insists these bedside table items are "helpful," even if the Sydney Opera House audience laughs at her

Who says it's faux pas to eat in bed? Not Nigella Lawson!

During an "Ideas at the House" conversation with Annabel Crabb at the Sydney Opera House, , the 56-year-old celebrity chef proudly copped to eating in bed—a lot. She snacks in the sheets so often, in fact, that her nightstand is stocked with culinary necessities.

"I do keep, by the side of my bed, because my bedroom is not on the same floor as the kitchen, so by the side of my bed, I have learnt to keep a little collection of condiments," she said, immediately getting a laugh from the audience.

"It's not meant to be funny," she snapped back quickly, sounding a little defensive. "It's very helpful."

Hmm... Well, in any case, the cookbook author and TV host keeps English mustard in her bedside table (obviously) and always has salt close by. Annabel, the interviewer, noted that spilled salt would be "a bit crunchy" in the bed. "Yeah, I know," Nigella quipped. "[But] that can be lived with. Unsalted food is worse."

Nigella also keeps a chili sauce, soy sauce, another hot sauce and Tabasco in her nightstand, "although I don't always know whether Tabasco's the right sauce," she lamented.

But, while Nigella is proud of the practicality of her bedside staples, she realizes her eating habits can be a bit backwards. "The ridiculous thing is that one of my great luxuries is that I like very expensive and gorgeous bed linen," she said, "and then I ruin it by dumping soy sauce all over it."

Happens to the best of us.

Watch another celebrity chef indulge on a burger in the video below.