I think the secret to Delia’s success is the way her recipes are never daunting- especially for beginners. She actually prides herself on trying and testing her recipes over and over to come up with something thats easy to follow and best of all, achievable.
Delia started out without any prestigious diplomas, or any formal qualifications to speak of. She was a trainee hairdresser, shop assistant and travel agent before she finally got her feet wet in the food industry – as dishwasher at a restaurant.
Her moment of inspiration came when a boyfriend told her that his ex was an excellent cook – and this got Delia cooking seriously. She studied English cookery books at the British library and practiced on family and friends – some of which produced less-than-perfect results like the famed “Rice Pudding Disaster” which lacked one vital ingredient – sugar.
By 1969 Delia was a cookery writer for “the Mirror” and later the “Evening Standard”. At this time, cooking at home in Britain was in steep decline, so Delia came up with the idea of a TV show on the BBC to revive it.
Her televised cookery course backed up by cookbooks were an instant hit and it got Britain cooking at home again, trying new ingredients and buying fancy cookware for the first time ever. Since then, Delia has written 15 cookbooks as well as 2 religious works owing to her staunch Catholicism.
Delia’s other passion is football. In 2003, Delia retired from TV cooking and bought majority shares in Norwich City Football Club where she and her husband take an active role in all aspects of running the club – especially the catering.
One last bit of trivia: Delia baked the cake seen on the Rolling Stones album cover, “Let It Bleed”.
Originally posted on September 10, 2006 @ 12:37 pm
