WORDS OF WISDOM
Best advice I was given
Never underestimate
yourselfAdvice I’d give
Slow down so you know
what’s important to youWhat I wish I’d known
There is no shame in
quitting when you realise
you’ve done what you canROBERT WILSONS
mith was born in Woking
and left school aged- She first worked as
a hairdresser before
developing a passion
for food doing shifts at
a restaurant in Paddington.
Over her five decades in food
she has been credited with
teaching the nation to cook
and has sold more than 21
million cookbooks. More
recently she has turned to
matters of spirituality,
publishing her first book on
the subject in March. She is
also a majority shareholder
of Norwich City FC. She lives
near Stowmarket with her
husband, Michael Wynn-
Jones, a former journalist.
I wake around 5.45am. I have
a cup of tea as soon as I get up.
I need an hour on my own,
being still and silent, to think.
It sets me up for the day. Then
I do some exercise, like cycling,
for 20 or 30 minutes. I’m lucky
that we have a meadow, which
Michael bought for my birthday
more than 20 years ago, out the
back of my house with a path
around it, so I get all the seasons.
Then breakfast is muesli with
seeds and nuts while listening
to the Today programme.
Writing my new book, You
Matter, took me five years as I
had other work on, but on my
writing days I’d be at my desk in
my garden treehouse from nine
till five. It meant I could get on
without being disturbed.
I’ve always been interested
in spiritual matters since I was
a child in the Congregationalist
Brownies. I view my new book
as a recipe for living: a melting
pot of ideas gleaned from my
voracious spiritual reading as
well as my own experiences.I think we often underestimate
ourselves, and in my book
I encourage people to slow
down and think more deeply
about themselves, rather than
just sleepwalking through life.
Convincing publishers to take
on the book was very difficult. It
didn’t matter how many millions
of cookery books I’d previously
sold or how well known my
name was — they only want to
take on a sure thing that will sell
a lot. Six turned it down before
I got a yes with the seventh.
I took a step back from writing
cookery books and presenting
over a decade ago — I’m 81 this
year. I’d said everything I wanted
to say and taught people the
basic skills they needed so they
could move on to greater things.I didn’t want to reinvent the
wheel or have to think up new
recipes all the time — when
you’ve done your 44th
asparagus season, there’s not
much more to add! I’m not one
to get involved in any of these
judging shows because I want
to build people’s confidence up.
If I’m at home I don’t really
do lunch because I don’t like
breaking off for long if I’m
concentrating, so I’ll just have
fruit. I’ve always had to be
careful about what I eat because,
being involved in the food
industry, I could easily get fat.
You must be disciplined.
I still work two days a week
helping to run the catering for
my beloved Norwich City. I’ve
been doing it for 20 years — it’s
my pride and joy. Everything we
serve is homemade — the only
thing we buy in is part-baked
rolls for match day.
If it’s a home match, Michael
and I arrive about 12.45pm to
host the visiting directors and
our guests in the directors’
dining room for lunch. If it’s
away, we get a driver because
we like to enjoy ourselves and
certainly wouldn’t want to be
driving back, believe me!
I’m passionate about football
because I’m passionate about
people and it really is a beautiful
game. It’s one of the last vestiges
of community we have in the
world. You’re never alone.
I’m lucky that Michael is such
a good cook. He didn’t do any
until he retired. It’s brilliant
because I can leave all the food
prep to him while I’m still
working. He uses all my recipes,
of course! He does a mean
cauliflower cheese with
hard-boiled eggs. There’s really
nothing I don’t eat. I’m quite
greedy and I love matching
wines to meals.
I enjoy unwinding with a
current affairs programme like
Sky News at Ten and reading a
bit. Overall, I sleep quite well.
I need a good seven hours, so
lights out is 10.30pm n
Interview by Sarah Ewing.
You Matter: The Human
Solution is published by
Mensch at £14.99. Delia will
be talking at Kite Festival,
Oxfordshire, on June 11;
kitefestival.co.ukA LIFE IN THE DAY
Delia Smith
Celebrated cook, author and Norwich City FC owner, 80
58 • The Sunday Times Magazine*