Nigella Lawson's hilarious response to fans who didn't get her 'microwave' joke

Nigella's odd pronunciation of the name of a kitchen appliance went viral this week. Photo / Getty Images

The internet quickly lost its mind over the way British chef Nigella Lawson pronounced the word "microwave" this week – and now the beloved celebrity chef has served up a sassy comeback.

In an episode of her new BBC cooking show Eat, Cook, Repeat, Lawson, 60, was explaining how to make brown butter colcannon when she pronounced the name of the kitchen appliance in an extremely odd way.

"I still need a bit of milk, full fat, that I've warmed in the [mee-crow-wah-vay]" she says in the clip.

The video was very quick to go viral on Twitter. Fans were stunned, with some left wondering if Lawson really does pronounce the word that way or was just pulling everyone's leg.

The TV host let the joke go on for a bit before taking to Twitter to set the record straight.

"Well, I do say it like that, but not because I think that's how it's actually pronounced," she tweeted.

"I don't know. A camp joke that becomes habit," she added.

However, many Twitter users kept the joke going, with one fan tweeting a possible "collab" between the chef and Ikea.

The user shared an image of a "MEEKRO WAHVE Milk Warmer" with the Ikea branding, which Lawson could not help but retweet.

"I know I said enough now, but couldn't resist," Lawson wrote.

According to Radio 1 host Greg James, a rep for Lawson explained in a statement that her pronunciation was an inside joke.

"In a nutshell, it's how Nigella refers to the microwave at home.

"It's a bit of a family joke."

Others chimed in on Twitter with the way they pronounce sausage (to rhyme with fromage), mangetout and quiche while in the comfort of home.

Lawson regularly makes headlines in the UK and is beloved for her cooking shows and books in which she delights in simple and sometimes calorie-laden meals.

Truly iconic @Nigella_Lawson #microwavé pic.twitter.com/Re9Wefap7j

— Phoenix CS Andrews 🏳️‍⚧️ (@pennyb) December 7, 2020

She has sparked public debate before by explaining how to make double-buttered toast and also including a recipe for avocado on toast in one of her recent books.

In October 2019, Nigella's ex-husband's partner Trinny Woodall spoke on the throat grabbing debacle that also made global headlines.

Woodall claimed that she "didn't know" her partner had been photographed grabbing his ex by the throat when they met.

The 56-year-old makeup and fashion guru has been linked to billionaire art dealer Charles Saatchi — the ex-husband of celebrity chef Nigella Lawson — for nearly six years, with the two spotted out for dinner together in 2013.

They were dining at the very same up-market Mayfair restaurant, Scott's, where Saatchi, 77, was pictured grabbing Lawson by the throat that same year.

Saatchi and Lawson divorced soon after the incident, which led to Saatchi receiving a caution for assault following an investigation by police.

But despite the incident making global headlines, Woodall, who was introduced to Saatchi shortly after his split, said she didn't know about it.

Speaking to Stellar, she said, "Really weirdly, I still didn't know any of that sh*t," of the night they met, going on to reveal that she had only asked their mutual friend one question about Saatchi: whether he was "kind".

"I thought I just need to get to know this person to see if I like them, and within a few months I knew I really, really cared about him," she said.

The pair now live together in London.