Delia Smith
Delia Smith OBE (born
18 June,
1941, in
Woking, Surrey) is an
English television chef, known for her interest in
food and teaching basic
cookery.
Delia is Britain's best-selling cookery author, with more than 18,000,000 copies sold. She is a prominent Roman Catholic.
In 1969 Delia became cookery writer for
The Daily Mirror, with her first piece featuring
kipper pâté, beef in beer and
cheesecake. In 1972 she started writing for London's
Evening Standard. She rose to fame teaching cookery on a
television show,
Family Fare (1973–75).
Her
How to Cook series (1998) reportedly led to a 10% rise in
egg sales in
Britain and her use of new ingredients, such as
cranberries, or utensils, such as an omelette pan, can cause sell-outs overnight. Because of this fame, her first name has become sufficient to identify her to the public, and
doing a Delia is the phrase used when preparing a dish according to one of her recipes.
She was made an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1995.
In 2003, Delia announced her retirement from the TV cooking scene (although she will continue to produce cookery books). Delia has developed other business interests, notably the majority shareholding in
Norwich City Football Club, (also known as the Canaries) with her Welsh-born husband, Michael Wynn-Jones.
The pair were instrumental in helping restore the club to a firm financial footing, following the (ultimately near-catastrophic) chairmanship of Robert Chase.
As well as substantial personal financial contributions by Delia and Wynn-Jones, Delia has made a massive difference to the club's catering. The members-only "Gunn Club" (named after
Bryan Gunn) is one example of the catering improvements.
Delia, frequently seen with a yellow and green scarf, has developed something of a cult status amongst football fans in the UK after an enthusiastic (and possibly a little
drunk[
1]) half-time appeal to Norwich fans to get behind the team, shouting "Where are you? Where are you? Let's be having you!" over the public address system after the Canaries had thrown away a two-goal lead before half-time. Her outburst won the support of
Chelsea F.C. manager
José Mourinho:
"Sometimes, I would like to do what she did because I always feel that crowds can help the team. The lady did it because she was trying to help her team. I cannot criticise ... I only take a bottle of wine for managers but why not take one for her this time?"
Reports on many British entertainment sites have her fronting a British version of the short-lived Martha Stewart version of
The Apprentice series, with the working title of
Delia Smith's Apprentice.
Delia Smith baked the cake seen on the front cover of the
Rolling Stones LP
Let It Bleed.
Cookery books*
How to Cheat at Cooking (1971)
*
Recipes from Country Inns and Restaurants (1973)
*
The Evening Standard Cookbook (1974)
*
Frugal Food (1976)
*
Delia Smith's Book of Cakes (1977)
*
Delia Smith's Cookery Course (3 volumes: 1978, 1979 & 1980)
*
One is Fun (1985)
*
Delia Smith's Christmas (1990)
*
Delia Smith's Summer Collection (1993)
*
Delia Smith's Winter Collection (1995)
*
Delia's How to Cook – Book 1 (1998) (based on the television series)
*
Delia's How to Cook – Book 2 (1999)
*
Delia's How to Cook – Book 3 (2001)
*
The Delia Collection (2003) (several themed volumes)
*
Delia's Kitchen Garden: A Beginners' Guide to Growing and Cooking Fruit and Vegetables (2004)
Religious works*
A Journey into Prayer (1986)
*
A Journey into God (1988)
*
Delia Online*
BBC biography
