ADDITIONAL
WORDS:
KATY
SALTER,
KAREN
BARNES.
PHOTOGRAPHS:
FLO
SMITH,
DEBRA
HURFORD
BROWN
editing, so a mistake halfway through meant going
back to the beginning – great training for what was to
become a blossoming TV career.
And so it was. My intuitions affirmed, I could now
reach millions directly in their own homes and teach
them the basics of cooking. It takes 800 words to
explain how to make an omelette and about three
minutes to show how. All I ever really wanted was to
convince people not to be afraid to cook and that they
could do anything I could do.
I had someone to teach me, and I wanted everyone
to have that. The people’s response was phenomenal
and, 50 years on, I still receive so much warmthwherever I am: “We always make your Christmas
cake” or “You taught me to make meringues” or
recently at an away match a burly teenager wanting
a selfie “because my mum loves you”.
To sum it all up, I feel so privileged and thankful.
I am also well aware that none of it was just down
to me. So many people have played a part, and I
remember them all with affection and gratitude. I’ve
been asked, looking back, what is the best wisdom I
have learned, and I would say this: stick to your own
intuitions. Everyone has something special to offer
everyone else. And, finally, if you’re not afraid to fail,
absolutely anything is possible.WHAT DELIA
MEANS TO...
MATT
TEBBUTT
“I love Delia,
particularly
her Ve g e t a r i a n
Collection. It
was a go-to in
my restaurant
for years.”
FAVOURITE
DELIA RECIPE
“I regularly use
her foaming
hollandaise
on Saturday
Kitchen... It
stillfeels
freshand
relevant.”WHAT DELIA MEANS TO... NIGELLA LAWSON
“When I was in my teens and early 20s, my maternal grandmother
and I used to collect recipes and swap them – many of our treasures
came from Delia recipes cut out from the Evening Standard. My
favourite, and I cook it still, is Delia’s kidneys stroganoff from
Frugal Food. It’s a budget-friendly, full-flavoured recipe that I
started cooking regularly in my student years and could probably cook in my sleep. It
reminds me of my grandmother and takes me back to those early days when I was first
learning how exciting it could be to try new flavours and dishes and build a repertoire.
AndI amjustoneofthemillionsshehadthiseffecton.Thankyou,Delia!”14 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT DELIA
13
She likes
McDonald’s.
“At away
matches we
used to eat burgers in the
carpark. It is quality. It
became our tradition.”8
She never
gets bored:
“Actually, I’ve
lied... I get bored
waiting at the vet’s.”1
She
caused a
national
shortage
of cranberries
when she used
them in a recipe
in 1995.
2
‘The Delia effect’
was added to Collins
English Dictionary in 2001:
‘The Delia effect occurs
when millions seek out
an ingredient or piece
of equipment she has
recommended.’3
Her
favourite
TV show?
Breaking Bad.
“It was horrific,
it was funny – all
the clever things.”4
As a child she used to go to the
cinema on her own, watch the
film, then buy a bag of chips,
go back to the cinema and
watch the next film until words came
across the screen saying ‘Would Delia
Smith please leave the cinema and
come and meet her mother.’5
Favourite
film and
film director:
Joseph
Losey and
his classic
movie The
Go-Between.10
She once
worked as
a hairdresser.
6
On away-match
weekends she
goes out for a
Sunday-lunch curry7
She doesn’t like pretentious food or what
Elizabeth David called ‘theatre on a plate’.
“One of my favourite restaurants is River View,
a Chinese restaurant on the Thames. We’ve
been going there for 20 years.”14
Her best
recipe ideas
often came from
restaurant reviews:
“I’d read what
chefs were cooking
and be inspired.”9
Guaranteed
to put her in
a bad mood:
politics. “I’m
passionate about it.”12
Guaranteed to put
her in a good mood:
“Norwich City winning
a football match.”11
She never watches food
programmes or reads food
magazines – apart from delicious.
‘‘It’s the best food magazine – I always
learn something I didn’t know. Best
of all, you try to reach people and
really serve your readers.”-^ What does Delia mean to you? Email [email protected] and tell us
70 deliciousmagazine.co.uk