She’s
endured a difficult 12 months – but despite high profile court
appearances, allegations of drug abuse, and subsequent visa issues
Nigella Lawson was still smiling when she stepped out for dinner on
Thursday evening, and with good reason.
Pabulum
Productions, the production company she launched with business partner
William Miller in 2001, has generated a ‘cash ready’ sum of £2.56
million from shareholders’ funds of £2.85 million as of August 31 2013.
The
organisation, responsible for producing the 54-year-old cook’s BBC
shows Nigella’s Kitchen and Nigella Express, as well as Channel 4 series
Nigella Forever, is also responsible for developing her hugely popular
website, nigella.com.
Reasons to be cheerful: Nigella Lawson's
production company, Pabulum Productions, has enjoyed a healthy 20% surge
in profits over the last year
But
the 20% profit margin does not reflect her sizeable earnings from other
ventures, amongst them her cookery book range – which has shifted 3
million units globally – and her John Lewis range of kitchen and cookery
utensils, Lawson’s Living Kitchen.
Nigella
has also enjoyed broader international appeal thanks to her role on
American cookery show The Taste, earning her a reported £120,000 an
episode.
News
of the profit surge comes midway through a testing year for the
celebrity cook , who was denied permission to board a flight to the
United States at London’s Heathrow Airport – supposedly as a result of
her confession to using cannabis and cocaine on a handful of occasions.
Testing year: The 54-year-old cook has endured a difficult 12 months, during which her personal life has been scrutinised
Night out: Nigella, whose personal fortune is
estimated at more than £15 million, enjoyed a night out at celebrity
hotspot the Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone, London on Thursday evening
That
admission came as a response to claims that she was a habitual drug
user during the trial of Italian sisters Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo
– the former assistants of Nigella and her ex-husband, art dealer
Charles Saatchi.
Referring
to her past use of cocaine and cannabis at Isleworth Crown Court, she
said: ‘I found it made an intolerable situation tolerable. It’s a false
friend. I found the answer was in changing the situation and trying to
create a tolerable situation for me and my family.
‘Since freeing myself from a brilliant but brutal man, I’m now totally cannabis, cocaine and drug free.’
Popular: The celebrity cook has won broader
international appeal thanks to her judging role on American cookery show
The Taste, which netter her a reported £120,000 an episode
U.S. authorities declined to specify why Nigella's flight was banned, according to The Guardian.
Immigration
New Zealand then said that as she was not allowed to enter the U.S. she
would require special permission to work in New Zealand, but later
reneged on their status after it was not 100% confirmed that Lawson was
excluded from traveling to the U.S.
They
said: 'In assessing Ms Lawson's visa application we were aware of
issues reported in the media about her inability to travel to the United
States.
Nice little earner: Show like Nigella Express
(pictured) have helped Pabulum Productions, the company she co-founded
in 2001, enjoy a 20% surge in profits over the last 12-months
'In
order to process her visa in a timely manner we erred on the side of
caution and decided to process her visa as a special direction. This was
in case it transpired that she was excluded from travel to the US.’
The
cook, whose personal wealth is estimated at more than £15 million, was
in good cheer as she stepped out on Thursday evening for a meal at
celebrity haunt the Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone, London.
Wearing
a form fitting blue evening dress with sheer arms, she arrived at the
hugely popular hotel and restaurant alone before making her way inside
