Beloved chef Nigella Lawson is known for her sumptuous, indulgent yet easy recipes and never shies away from luxuriantly pouring in cream.

This is a fact well-known about our national treasure - but Italians appear to be unimpressed by her excess.

The cook has upset Italians to the point of outrage after posting her popular carbonara recipe on her Facebook page.

She has been told that her cookery is a "disgrace" and she may as well "make it with turkey twizzlers" after posting her recipe which contains nutmeg, wine and cream on her page.

Ms Lawson wrote: "I think spaghetti carbonara is what Meryl Streep cooks for Jack Nicholson in the film version of one of my favourite books, "Heartburn", and it is so right, for that chin-dripping, love-soaked primal feast, the first time someone actually stays through the night."