The Bookseller.com

20th November 2008

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Delia defends cheating tome

25.02.08

Delia Smith has defended her latest tome, one of the fastest-selling non-fiction titles ever, after the book reawakened memories of the "awful cooking" of the 1970s, notes the Guardian.

The inclusion of ingredients such as frozen mashed potato and ready-made pancakes in How to Cheat at Cooking has sparked an online backlash, with debate raging between fans on the cook's own website over whether their idol's return after five years is a triumph or a travesty.

But she told the Guardian she understood the surprise at her most controversial recommendation: tinned mince. "It was to be expected," she said. "It is in some ways shocking, because it's such a kind of dated, old-fashioned idea. Tinned mince sounds very weird in this day and age."

Guardian

Authors Delia smith