Delia Smith - live webchat, Friday, 25 November 2011, 1-2pm

[RachelMumsnet]

We're delighted and honoured at MNHQ that Delia, the grande dame of British cookery, is joining us on 25 November, from 1-2pm for a live webchat. Delia's first Christmas book, Delia Smith's Christmas has been the cookery bible since it's publication in 1994 when the shops ran out of cranberries and Delia became known as the Cranberry Queen. In 2009, Delia's Happy Christmas hit the shelves with over 100 new recipes and an invaluable hour-by-hour countdown to the last 36 hours before Christmas dinner is served.

The party season is about to kick off and Delia's kindly allowed us to reproduce her own mulled wine recipe and her non-alcoholic version for designated drivers.

Delia's Classic Christmas Cake box is currently flying off Waitrose shelves. So ahead of Delia's webchat, we're having our very own bake-off: five MNHQ-ers are making the cake and Delia is going to sample a morsel of each. Find out what she thinks and send in your own questions on Christmas cookery to Delia on Friday 25 November at 1pm. If you're unable to join us on the day, send a question in advance to this thread.

@Wordsonapage

Hello Delia

Do you regret the "Where are you ..come on then let's be having you" ?

No regrets whatsoever, might do it again one day. It?s given me a special rapport with other supporters everywhere.

oops, sorry got the wrong question from Wordsonapage..

@Aworryingtrend

Hello Delia,

I am a huge fan of your recipes as they are the ones I turn to again and again.

I would like your advice please on what to cook on Boxing day (evening). there will be 6 adults. I won't have any time on the day as we will be out most of the day, so I would like something either quick and easy in the evening or that can be made in advance and frozen then defrosted. What do you suggest for a special meal that will be a change after turkey and all the trimmings the day before?

Thank you.

I have to give you one of my own favourites, which is a collar of bacon joint. You score the skin, and then paint the surface of the skin all over with molasses. When you cook this in the oven, it's dead easy. And the skin turns into a delicious sweet and black crunchy crackling. And all you need to do is serve it with another of my favourite Christmas recipes, cumberland sauce which can be made the day before. You should find the recipes in the Christmas book, or on the website.

Also, in the back of the book, you'll find the address of a supplier called Lane Farm, who will deliver the joint to wherever you live.

@hippoCritt

Hi Delia,

Do you plan out al your meals before shopping or get creative depending on what you have bought?

I think of you every time I feed my Christmas cake, I aspire to have a spare room to keep them under the bed like on your TV programme!

I do plan at Christmas, and shop accordingly, but the rest of the year I like to be inspired by whatever's in season and what's in the shops. So do I do quite a lot of spontaneous shopping!

@Taffeta

Oh how marvellous! Delia at Christmas!

I make your Christmas cake every year Delia, love it.

I'd like to know what your favourite food era has been, the one that sits most naturally with you. Cheating food, Frugal Food, Calorie Laden food, which style?

My favourite book of yours is Summer Collection. Even though its years old, lots of the recipes are timeless, and I note you were doing puttanesca before Jamie was out of school.

In the early 70s, I wrote a book called Recipes from Country Inns and Restaurants, and I travelled the length and breadth of Britain and met some incredibly brilliant - sometimes amateur - cooks, cooking the most delicious food that always tasted like homemade.

Since the arrival of Nouvelle Cuisine in the 80s, and the era of what I called 'Poncey', I'm finding it harder and harder to eat out.

I'm trying to get through as many questions as possible, but I do want to say a very big thank you to all the people who have been so complimentary about my various books! It's really made my day.

Hi Delia, Just popped in to thank you for the Xmas pud and mince pie recipes. We live in Brazil, so no shop puds or pies available and your recipes have become a tradition here at home. Even though temperatures over Xmas are usually up in the 90's, the family insists on real Xmas pud and pies. I usually make 3 puds so we can have the other 2 in the winter months (June and July here). Thanks again, you are a life saver...;-). Quick question: I would like to make cranberry sauce but I can't get fresh cranberries here, would the sauce work if I used dried cranberries, re-hydrated?

I've not had a chance to make a cake yet this year due to DIY going on in the kitchen, but hoping to this weekend. I might well go for the Waitrose box - what a good idea!

Any tips for getting royal icing on as evenly as possible?
I do like the royal icing on a xmas cake and making it a snowy scene means I can get away with some peaks and swirls. But I do think I could be making a better job of it than I do.

@headfairy

Hello Delia,

Complete Cookery Course is always my first port of call when I'm browsing my cookery books, I'm a huge fan!

My question is: I love cooking but I have a big problem is with baking. My cakes always look very flat. They taste ok, but aren't exactly light as a feather. A friend of mine (who bakes beautiful cakes) says the secret to making great cakes is to properly combine the sugar and fat. Is she right? I must admit I tend to lose patience at this stage and I don't think I've ever whipped butter and sugar until it was light and fluffy. It's usually claggy and gritty. Is that the cause of all my baking woes? Or is there some other secret to it? I would so love to be able to bake cakes that rise beautifully and don't resemble a biscuit!

Thanks in advance.... :)

There are so many things that can go wrong with baking, and one of the main problems is not having the right recipe, and not having the right size baking tin.

Over the years it's been very difficult for me as tin sizes have changed at various times, but again in the 70s, I wrote a book called Delia's Book of Cakes. The paperback version of this is still available on Amazon, and I think you would really appreciate it because it kind of takes you by the hand and teaches you about baking.

I have been approached by the publisher to update it, and this might happen, but I still think it would be helpful for you to get the old one.

Creaming butter and sugar is always easier if you have an electric hand whisk. Can't think of me doing it now at my age without one. And it's important to add the egg - just a teaspoon at a time - with the beater still running. You may also like to try not creaming at all! And instead just use very very soft butter, or Stork and put all the ingredients in together, and simply mix. This is called the all-in-one method.

Delia THANK YOU for asking my question, you've made my day :)

BTW I also love Simon Hopkinson, his recipes always work too.

Hi Delia,

I use your vegetarian cookbook loads, it was one of the first good veggie cookbooks I found where the food appealed to non-veggies as well. Do you plan to do any more vegetarian stuff?

Hi Delia, just to thank you for your wonderful recipes - grew up with them and have them all myself now! Will look out for you at Carrow Road - big NCFC fans in our family! My question has already been answered, so will just wish you a marry christmas!

Ooo you reminded me, I have a glued together Delia's Book of Cakes too which was my mum's, DH adores the cherry cake from that!

@desserttime

Hi Delia,

needless to say am huge fan.

Tried to ask you a question on radio 4 last year when you were on, but ran out of time. Second time I lucky I hope! What main dish could you recommend to go with rice that isn't chilli or curry that children would eat?

Thank you
xx

My current favourite, if you can believe this, is very simple. I love hard-boiled eggs and cheese sauce served with brown rice and cauliflower. Could be made with white rice!

The other thing I would encourage you to do is make risotto for your children, you know, with Italian rice. I think I have several recipes for risotto on my website.

@fergoose

Hi Delia - your books are my bibles.

Is there anything you really don't like to or can't cook. And what is your favourite recipe?

When I learned to cook in a little French restaurant in the 60s, I had to prepare snails and I never liked preparing them, and so I've never liked eating them!
I don't have a favourite recipe, I'm very greedy! I love all food, but my favourite meal is always Sunday lunch.

Hello Delia, do you do your own supermarket shopping? And if so, do you find that people follow you around having a nosey into your trolley?

Oh Thank you Thank you for answering my Q.

I am like this

and may need to go and mix up a sponge just so I can eat the raw mixture.

Hi Delia
I make your Irish Whiskey Christmas cake from How to Cook, Book 1, EVERY year, and it always delicious....
However, I cook it using an 2 oven aga, and it has been known to take 13 hours in the bottom oven. Would you suggest blasting it in the top oven for an hour or so, or longer even? advice please Thankyou xx

@soupforthesoul

Hello Delia,

What is the best tip you can give mn regarding the Christmas dinner and what is your favourite biscuit?

Thank you.

The best tip is sit down and make a plan - or follow my plan!

And my favourite biscuit was years ago, in the Book of Cakes, someone in our church called Jeannie gave me her recipe for gingernuts, which has always been brilliant.

@Ingles2

Hi Delia I make your Irish Whiskey Christmas cake from How to Cook, Book 1, EVERY year, and it always delicious.... However, I cook it using an 2 oven aga, and it has been known to take 13 hours in the bottom oven. Would you suggest blasting it in the top oven for an hour or so, or longer even? advice please Thankyou xx

No, I wouldn't. I'm delighted you love the Irish Whiskey cake, so do I! But And I think the reason yours has always been so good is that long, slow cooking. I wouldn't change a thing.

Thank you Delia! The bacon joint with molasses sounds delicious, and easy too.

Thank you Delia for hopefully resolving my gravy issues And I think a whole gravy show or indeed series will save many a household argument ... Hope you've enjoyed your time at MN !

Ps I do have two of your books already. It's just the pages are all stuck together

@thereinmadnesslies

Hi Delia,

I use your vegetarian cookbook loads, it was one of the first good veggie cookbooks I found where the food appealed to non-veggies as well. Do you plan to do any more vegetarian stuff?

I've always done vegetarian recipes since I first started all those years ago and I will continue to do them. No more books planned at present but in other areas I will still be doing them. Have you ever made my cheese and potato souffle in the book Frugal food? That's one of my favourites.

@YourCallIsImportant

Hello Delia, do you do your own supermarket shopping? And if so, do you find that people follow you around having a nosey into your trolley?

I do do my own supermarket shopping. I haven't noticed anyone following me around, and because I'm always quite scruffy with no makeup I don't get recognised a lot! But if ever I do, people are always really nice.