It’s fair to say the 2013 – the tail end of it at least – was tough for Nigella Lawson; a very public split from her husband was followed by an equally public court case, which saw two of her former aides acquitted over charges of fraudulently spending £685,000 between 2008 and 2012.

The Taste JudgesThe Taste judges, from left to right: Ludo Lefebvre, Nigella Lawson and Anthony Bourdain

But public opinion of Nigella rarely dropped, and her candid nature in court won her more fans than her drug revelations lost her. Even the two aides she took to court - Italian sisters Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo – have praised her bravery.

Francesca said: ''I think maybe we won the case but definitely she had the most support from the public. She is well loved and she will always be loved. ''I'm sure she will be fine. She's great at what she's doing and I wish her all the best.”

Now, as 2014 rumbles into gear, Nigella’s TV career seems to be back on track, and tonight’s first episode of The Taste is an important step. In the show, Anthony Bourdain and Ludo Lefebvre join her as the three experts judge the contestants’ cooking on just one spoonful.

Bourdain is renown in the U.S, but less known in the U.K. He’s the punk-rock New York food writer with a history of drug abuse; he used to send his bus boys on drug mule errands to fuel his habit back in the 80s. And he’s still pretty crazy.

Anthony BourdainAnthony Bourdain should make for an interesting watch

Ludo Lefebvre isn’t quite like Bourdain, but he shouldn’t be any less entertaining to watch. An unashamed diva; he’ll be stomping his feet all over The Taste studio, complaining about that one spoonful. “He’s French,” explains Nigella. “He’s very French...He’s very, very French”.

Nigella’s tough 2013 is behind her, and if anything, the divorce from Saatchi and the court case that followed it served only to heighten to the media coverage as her American show attempts to find a British audience.