English Breakfast

Cook-a-like: Anne Shooter copies Nigella's pose from her latest book cover - and reproduces her recipes with less fat content

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CHEESECAKE

Still delicious but less calories: Anne's version of the chocolate cheesecake uses tofu

WAS: 700 calories a slice

NOW: 414 calories a slice

Nigella’s version of this cake has a shocking 7, 000 calories — that’s 700 a pop if you cut it into ten pieces.

Nigella made this announcement on television with typical, unapologetic, indulgent glee, saying: ‘I don’t know if I should apologise for this or boast about it. Either way, I feel you will thank me for it.’

Perhaps not! She uses Nutella chocolate spread mixed with cream cheese on a base made from combining digestive biscuits with butter, hazelnuts and Nutella.

To bring the calorie count down, my version uses tofu. Don’t be scared — you won’t know it’s there and it gives an amazing silky, creamy texture. In fact, my young daughters declared it the best cheesecake they had ever eaten!

For the base

250g half-fat digestives

75g light butter e.g. Lurpak Lighter

25g toasted hazelnuts

1 tsp cocoa powder

For the filling

450g silken tofu

200g reduced-fat creme fraiche

250g low-fat cream cheese

100g ground hazelnuts

100g cocoa powder

2 tsps vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

4 tbsps of Splenda or other sugar substitute

For the topping

50g chopped toasted hazelnuts

HOW TO: Blitz the biscuits in a food processor. Melt the butter and combine with the biscuit crumbs, hazelnuts and cocoa powder.

When you have a mixture with the texture of damp sand, stop and press into the base of a springform tin. Chill while you make the filling.

Put all the filling ingredients in the food processor and blitz until smooth. Pour and spread over the base, carefully. Sprinkle with the chopped toasted hazelnuts.

Chill overnight. Serve.

QUICK CALABRIAN LASAGNE

Meat-free: Anne made a vegetarian version of the lasagne by using Quorn

WAS: 841 calories a portion

NOW: 450 calories a portion

Nigella layers pasta sheets with a loose beef sauce, torn mozzarella, chopped boiled eggs and slices of ham. It’s a dish that Nigella says is ‘reassuringly homespun and feels like cosy, safe-making food’.

She also says it is as good a party dish as it is a hangover cure — though I’m not sure I’d fancy it for breakfast, even after a big night.

As it is, I’m not big on cooked boiled eggs, so I dropped those altogether and used half-fat mozzarella and natural yogurt to create a ‘bechamel’ layer, with a tasty Quorn and passata ragu replacing the meat. My husband didn’t realise this dish had no meat in it and couldn’t believe it was a light, vegetarian lasagne.