Saint Delia in the good old days...
It’s awful when your heroes let you down. When the people whose ideals and values you have lived by suddenly abandon all that they stood for. Imagine you’ve looked up to someone for years and years and then one night they tell you that everything you have worked for can be brushed under the carpet and it's ok to cheat.
I am referring not to Dwain Chambers but to Delia Smith. Last night was the much awaited return of The godmother of TV chefs. Like millions of other Delia fans I sat down to watch for the first time in six years.
I knew the new series was all about ‘shortcuts’ but I’m sorry, I wasn’t prepared for tinned mince!
Now I know how Dylan fans must have felt when he walked on stage at Newport festival with an electric guitar. In the eyes of folk fans that was his frozen mash moment.
Just like the moment when Dylan plugged in and changed music forever, some of us will never forget the moment we saw her reach for the frozen mash from a packet - and this from a woman who has written entire chapters on how to make the perfect mashed potato.
A moment of utter betrayal. I am sure I wasn’t the only person screaming ‘Judas’ at the TV last night.
The strange hockey pucks of frozen mash seemed to feature in everything from chocolate cake to soup.
And then there was the revolting looking Peruvian salad using frozen potato wedges and cottage cheese. It looked like the kind of technicolour delight you see on the pavement outside kebab shops at three in the morning.
Looking at some of the online food blogs ("This could have been hosted by Kerry Katona!") I am assuming that unlike cranberries and omlette pans, the makers of tinned mince shouldn't prepare themselves for the big rush.