After my post the other day on Delia Smith I gather that viewing figures were amazing, cranberries and other ingredients featured by this wonderful lady, are selling like crazy and Waitrose and Sainsbury have reported that they have had to order extra supplies. I cannot think of any other chef/cook who has this power, not even those high profile Chefs most of whom, with the odd exception, have joined in the chorus of disdain for Delia calling her 'boring', 'dull' and 'old fashioned'. I found it very amusing when I recently saw a recipe for 'retro' trifle with creme anglais in a cookery book by one of these gents and on reading it discovered it could be roughly translated into your basic trifle topped with custard and cream. Delia puts raspberries in, all mashed up, the others 'drizzle raspberry coulis over the sliced cake'. I could go on and on about food snobbery but won't. And here is a link to somebody who agrees with me and writes about it in the paper this morning. She even mentions the bit about 'us being home cooks' which cheered me up no end.
Suffice it to say, the Blessed Delia galvanised me into action today and after a hunt to try and track down angelica and crystallised pineapple for her golden Christmas cake recipe (neither of which were stocked by Waitrose or Sainsbury's which surprised me), I managed to find them where I should have looked in the first place. A lovely shop in Colchester, called Guntons which has been in the town for yonks and holds its own against the Asdas, Aldis, Lidls, Tescos and now Waitrose with which the town is surrounded. Only problem is its location, in a small rather charming street that is always, but always heaving and parking is at a premium. I went round the block several times and in the end parked halfway up a solicitor's car park with wheels on yellow lines, and legged it into Guntons where I erupted breathless into the shop and gasped at two lovely ladies standing looking at me in amazement 'Yellow line - double parked - angelica - crystallised pineapple - quick!" Within three minutes I was back in the car having been given, grabbed and paid for my two vital items and my thanks to this gorgeous emporium which is stocked with all sorts of wonderful delights.
So I made the cake and it is in the oven as I speak and the smell is beginning to seep under the door of the kitchen and will pervade the entire flat soon. Have not made it for ages so fingers crossed it will be OK. But, silly me, it is a Delia recipe and she has never failed me yet.
