Delicious UK – (10)October 2019

1993

HerSummer

Collectionand

1995’sWinter

Collectionwere

highlightsin

a decadeof

bestselling

books

1995

‘TheDelia

effect’wasin

fullswing:if

shementioned

aningredient

orgadget,it

immediately

soldout

1996

Alreadyseason

ticketholders,

Deliaand

herhusband

Michael

(right)became

directorsof

NorwichCityFC

adinTheTimestocookprivatedinnerparties.That

gavemethechancetoworkmywaythroughcookery

booksbyElizabethDavidandRobertCarrier.I was

alsointroducedtoBobBrooks,a leadingfood

photographer,bya friendandlovedbeinginvolvedin

theartisticsideoffoodphotography.Asanaside,

yearslaterI hada callfroma foodphotographer

whoseclienthadaskedfora gaudycake.I arrivedat

thestudio,gaudycakeinhand,andonlythenrealised

it wasforthecoverofa RollingStonesalbum!

Everythingthenwasfreelance,soI stillworked

shiftsattherestaurant.Andontherecommendation

ofmyhistorianI reada wonderfulbookcalledFood

inEnglandbyDorothyHartley,whichincludeda

bibliographyofEnglishcookerybooksthroughthe

ages.I managedtoobtaina passfortheBritish

MuseumReadingRoomandspentallmysparetime

there,reading18th-centurycookbooksandcopying

outrecipes.I discoveredthatsomewereeven

publishedinfacsimile– myabsolutefavouritewas

froma ladycalledElizaActon,whoin 1840 published

a bookcalledModernCookingforPrivateFamilies.

I stillthinkit’sthebestcookerybookwritteninthe

Englishlanguage.

DREAMTEAM

Anothererawasabouttobegin– andanotherhuge

steptowardsbecominga foodwriter.A food

photographersuggestedI shouldtrytopublish

a bookoftherecipesI’dcollectedatthemuseum

andthathewouldphotographthem.Wedida couple

ofshotsandsentsomerecipestoa publisherwho

wasn’tatallimpressedbya bookaboutEnglishfood,

muchlessonewrittenbysomeonetotallyunknown.

Meanwhile,atthegranderendofthings,therewere

stillthoseglossyfoodsupplementsandFrenchfood,

whilethemoredownmarketmagazinesfeatured

thingslikesixwayswithmince.But– andthisisa big

but–therewasn’ta lotinbetween. I supposewhatwas

beginningtounfoldinmewasa desiretotr ytofill

WHATDELIA

MEANSTO...

SIMON

HOPKINSON

“Delia’s

recipesalways

work.Theyare

foreveryone,

betheylearner

orexpert.”

FAVOURITE

DELIARECIPE

“Steakand

kidneypudding

fromher

Complete

CookeryCourse,

becauseit’sthe

traditionaltype

rarelyseen

thesedays

• mostchefs
  cookthemeat
  beforeputting
  it inthesuet
  pastry...Fools!”

that gap. What proved to be a significant step was when

my photographer friend said he’d met a literary agent at

a party. He said if I went to see her that maybe she

could find a publisher for our 18th-century cookbook.

The meeting was in a small loft office at the top of

a big agency, just behind Park Lane, and it turned out

to be a momentous leap... Although I didn’t know it, I

was about to embark on 50 years of cookery writing and

broadcasting. Debbie Owen (the wife of politician David

Owen) immediately understood what I was about:

that I was trying to reach a generation who needed to

re-learn the forgotten art of cookery – an art that social

history had deprived them of. Debbie was unfazed by

this unknown woman with high ambitions and said she

would be very happy to take on the challenge.

Not long after that, a new colour supplement was

being launched at The Daily Mirror and a call was put

through on the off-chance to see if they needed a

cookery writer. They agreed to see me. What had I

written before? Nothing. No matter, said the editor, we

want something very different from all the rest anyway.

Go and write two 600-word columns, send them in and

we’ll take it from there.

It was all rather incongruous to be applying for a job

as a journalist having failed the 11-plus, with no O levels

and zero spelling. But what a chance to reach people.

The circulation at that time was 5 million. I sat up all

night and watched the dawn break, then asked a friend

to type the pieces for me and correct the spelling.

Amazingly I got the job! The editor asked me to

send my weekly copy to the deputy editor who would

help and guide me. His name was Michael Wynn

Jones, and he typed and corrected all my handwritten

copy. He later became my husband and continued that

task right through my writing career. From then on,

‘Team Delia’ was to be a three-way joint effort of

Debbie, Michael and me. It was a thrilling and

stimulating journey with hairy moments, sometimes

difficult decisions and much joy and humour.

I remember one publisher bemoaning the fact that he

1993

Started

New Crane

Publishing

with Michael

Wynn Jones

and launched

Sainsbury’s

Magazine

PHOTOGRAPHS: MUIR VIDLER, TRISTAN

FEWINGS, GETTY IMAGES

. *SOURCE:

THE GUARDIAN

68 deliciousmagazine.co.uk