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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

In thinking Delia has a death wish for us all?

206 replies

mamhaf · 01/12/2009 22:25

Just watched the Delia Christmas cookery programme on BBC2.

I know she always does this, but I haven't seen her on the tv for a while - everything was crammed with heart-stopping cholesterol - either butter or cream/creme fraiche. And then liberal amounts of nuts, cheese, fatty bacon etc.

It made me feel ill watching it.

And, wearing loads of rings on her horrible liver-spotty hands while preparing food - I hope they chucked the stuff away afterwards.

Admittedly some of the recipes looked delicious in small quantities but AIBU in thinking a full Delia Christmas is a ticket for the morgue?

OP posts:
sazzerbear · 02/12/2009 19:11

Ah Pointydog I thought she was a secret fan!

mrspnut · 02/12/2009 19:14

I hate delia's prissiness too, all those half a teaspoon measures get on my wick and make me want to run amok with the teatowel on my head and the gin bottle in my hand.

And my favoured Christmas host would have to be Nigel. I adore him and his approach to cooking.

sazzerbear · 02/12/2009 19:18

Ooh yes I love Nigel too!!

funtimewincies · 02/12/2009 19:31

Hairy Bikers are favourites in this house. Blokes who love their food and do proper recipes with nothing 'drizzled'.

HerHonesty · 02/12/2009 19:32

does anyone remember rusty lee. now that would be an intersting christmas day....

sorry but the hairy bikers presents would be shite, no?

sazzerbear · 02/12/2009 19:35

ah yes Rusty Lee, that laugh!!

CirrhosisByTheSea · 02/12/2009 19:36

what a horrible, mean spirited and personally insulting OP.

LoveBeingAMummyKissingSanta · 02/12/2009 19:38

Hope I've made as much money as her by the time I'l almost 70.

funtimewincies · 02/12/2009 19:39

Sorry, I'm lost, why would the Hairy Bikers be giving presents (or have I misundertood)?

pointydogg · 02/12/2009 19:39

it was meant to be light-hearted, not a serious personal attack. sheesh

MrFibble · 02/12/2009 20:26

I find it hard to forgive Delia for inferring that vegetarians are "facile".

However, her date and walnut loaf is top.

NonnoMum · 02/12/2009 21:13

Amazing the power of television. Was almost inspired to bake my own Christmas Pud (like a proper laydee) then heard the "leave to steam for 8 hours" and decided that I might open a Selection Pack (a la Denise from the Royle Family). She is stilted (and maybe a little smug?) but her cookery book is the one we go to most in this house.
She was much better to watch than one of those barking ladies on This Morning this morning (was it one of the Fat Ladies?). If she was round my house snapping at me, I'd be too frightened to eat, let alone cook.
BTW: Delia's house - we couldn't work out if she actually lives in a semi (or "link detached"). Any clarification on this? Might have to ignore her if she shares an adjoining wall with anyone else. God Bless 'er!

amazonianwoman · 02/12/2009 21:22

Delia should've been banned after that dreadful "How to cheat" series/episode where she was trying to persuade some major supermarket chain buyers that canned meat was the product of the future At a time when Jamie, HFW et al were trying to encourage us to buy fresh/British/freerange etc meat (and rightly so)

Totally lost the plot then I reckon

SleightiesChick · 02/12/2009 21:27

The stuff she cooks always looks cold, even if it's supposed to be hot. Some steam rising or a bit of sizzling would make it look more appetising. Plus I've never seen her taste any of her cooking. At least Jamie and Nigella will have a mouthful of their stuff and look like they're enjoying it.

If Delia sampled her own food, I would imagine her reaction to be like Krusty in the Simpsons when he has to pretend to eat his own burger for an advert, and just holds it in his mouth till they stop filming, then spits it out, remarking with a shudder that he 'nearly swallowed some of the juice'.

LaurenLaverne · 02/12/2009 21:38

I love Delia, I find watching her very relaxing, I could fall asleep listening to her!
She sounds so nice and mumsy.
My DP was very excited by The The being on in the background.
However would want to go to Hugh F-Ws for Christmas

Prettybetty · 02/12/2009 21:55

Haven't read the whole thread but apparently she spends Xmas in the Caribbean where she doesn't cook xmas lunch. I am so sure I read it somewhere!

sazzerbear · 02/12/2009 22:02

She seemed to look really old last night, maybe i'm just remembering the 70s Delia!

Leslaki · 02/12/2009 22:06

haha!! I'd send hestor Blumental round to my Xmil's - she couldn't cope if the sprouts hadn't been cooking for the whole of december and all the overcooked veg were served up in their cooking water to go with the processed Tesco Turkey roll barf!!! Always complained at my "normal" Christmas dinner cos it just wasn't done right - ie no slime!!! Would love to see her coping with mincemeat and turkey icecream over a sprout and roast potato baked alaska with foaming parsnip and prawn shavings!
persoanlly I'd go to jamie's as (to agree with another poster) O think the entertainment factor for the kids weighs it in his favour!! If they're being professionally entertained i could get pished and not care what he was cooking!

CheerfulYank · 02/12/2009 22:13

I just had to wikipedia Delia as I've never heard of her but surely the point of celebrations is to do stuff you don't normally do, i.e. eat delicious yet not exactly good-for-you food?

Lapsedrunner · 02/12/2009 22:14

Give the poor woman a break, she's 68. To be honest I hope I look as good as that at 68! I love her recipes - they work every time

Bucharest · 03/12/2009 09:12

Still can't believe that the shorter hairy biker was a BBC make up artist before he became a HB.

(maybe for Dr Who or summat??)

I don't take my rings off to cook dinner, but I do take them off to do pastry or they get clarted up. (there's a good HairyBikerism)

scaryteacher · 03/12/2009 10:03

'At a time when Jamie, HFW et al were trying to encourage us to buy fresh/British/freerange etc meat (and rightly so)'

I think Delia's point there was that free range meat is great if you can afford it, and that not everyone could; and so it was fine to feed your family a supermarket basics chicken if that was what you could run to.

As for her not tasting her food, I don't think she has ever done so on TV. It's not her style, and the whole point of Delia is that she is different from Nigella and Jamie.

Antdamm · 03/12/2009 10:04

Ooooh I do love a good food programme. Unfortunately, DP and i spent about 4 hours last night watching old episodes of Monk.

Delia did always seem very Mumsy to me, I don't think i could go round to hers for Christmas Lunch. I agree with SleightiesChick - who said that Delia's food always looks cold. It never looks very inviting to me. An uncle bought me one of her books last year - but it was like a thick paperback size and I don't think there were any pictures And I neeeeed pictures.

I'm a big fan of Tamsin Day Lewis' cookbook - The kitchen Bible - I thought it was great, but not sure if I would go to her house for Xmas Day.

I think I would love to go to Ina Garten's for Christmas Day - she also likes to indulge a lot. Allof her recipes seem to start with 'half a pound of butter, cream, sugar.....' But I love her, I think she is great.

Although she does annoy me slightly by telling what the food smells like, directly after putting something into the pot/bowl/pan. e.g "this tomato sauce is amazing" {puts garlic into sauce} - "mmm, you can really smell the tomatoes and the garlic" - Yeah you just put them in there, of course you are going to be able to smell them. But still, she's great

fernie3 · 03/12/2009 10:07

christmas is all about eating food you dont normally eat, it just wouldnt be fun without the calories! and just because she wears ring to make food doesnt mean you have to so unless you have been invited to her house for christmas dinner your probably ok.

wukter · 03/12/2009 10:11

She's on womans hour now.