Love her or loathe her, Delia Smith is hugely influential. Her new programme and tie-in book How to Cheat at Cooking have lifted sales of prepared, pre-packed and processed foods to new heights. And despite having been retired for four years, Smith’s powers have not diminished over the years.
Although she has been heavily criticised for using tinned mince and frozen mashed potato in her new recipes, Delia still has her followers, and has undoubtedly got some of the nation back into the kitchen.
On her website, she says: “I believe it’s not so much that people don’t want to cook; rather, they simply don’t have the time to cook every single day.”
Smith also points out that “a whole generation of people haven’t had any cookery lessons at school and are simply afraid of cooking anything.”
But help is at hand. Recommending that other people do most of the work before we even get to the kitchen, Smith says: “Supermarkets employ thousands to grate cheese, chop veg, shell peas or prepare salads. So let others do the prep, and spend less time in the kitchen.”
Shopping for the freezer can also be really “liberating”. “Thanks to frozen diced onions, you’re not forced to peel and chop an onion if you don’t want to,” she says.
According to a Waitrose spokesperson, Delia’s long-awaited return has caused shoppers to seek out the new “must-have” ingredients.
“We have seen strong sales increases for many Waitrose own-brand products featured in Delia’s How to Cheat at Cooking,” says a spokesperson. “Some of the most popular items are from the freezer, which Delia says has ‘become an extension of the store cupboard’. We have found that customers are looking to the freezer to save time.”
Waitrose says sales of prepared vegetables that are normally time consuming to prepare have risen significantly year on year. Sales of its frozen artichoke hearts are up by 251 per cent, for example, and, in the fruit and vegetable aisle, prepared coconut sales have risen by 30 per cent.
Supermarkets have undoubtedly benefited hugely from the Delia effect. In preparation, Asda filled its shelves with ingredients needed to make her new meals. “There’s nothing to be ashamed about when it comes to cheating your way to success in the kitchen,” says Christie Brisby, Asda’s brand manager. “At Asda, our initial sales data shows that many of our customers are embracing Delia’s new way of cooking by stocking up their store cupboards and freezers with great value items.”
In mid-March, Asda said frozen mashed potato and Kalamata olives were selling in record volumes at its stores, thanks to Delia. Sales of Asda’s chargrilled aubergine slices also rose 461 per cent week on week.
According to Rebecca Liburd, an Asda press officer, Delia is the original domestic goddess, and many people were excited about her new book.
However, although she acknowledges that celebrity chefs “have their place”, she says tastes have changed considerably in the last two decades and, when it comes to food choices, it is also down to consumer’s personal experiences. “That could be something like going to Morocco and wanting to replicate what they have eaten when they come back home,” she tells FPJ.
Aunt Bessie is another company that has enjoyed a huge spike in sales. The company, which was in the news last month for its mini cones of bangers and mash, enjoyed a whopping 200 per cent uplift in sales during the week that the Delia programme featuring frozen potatoes went on air.
“We are delighted by the impact that the Delia effect has had on our sales,” says Jane Jones, Aunt Bessie’s marketing manager. “The increased publicity has introduced new consumers to the great taste of Aunt Bessie’s frozen mashed potato, which is made using exactly the same ingredients as you would at home - potatoes, milk, butter, salt and pepper. Retailers should stock up now to harness the massive demand.”
Figures certainly support this view. During March, the percentage of UK households who bought Aunt Bessie’s frozen potatoes totalled 10.8 per cent. This represents a 75 per cent hike on the 6.2 per cent achieved during the same period in 2007.
Aunt Bessie’s whose potato products are produced by Heinz under licence from Tryton Foods Ltd, also saw a rise in its frozen chips and frozen roast potato sales of 138 per cent and 40 per cent respectively.
From past experiences, those that gain the Delia stamp of approval know they are on to a good thing. Smith’s previous efforts have boosted sales of a number of fruits, including cranberries and limes, with multiples claiming that customers literally cleared the shelves of these fruits when her last TV programme and book How to Cook were released in 1995.
One of the recipes included a tropical fruit salad and, back then, supermarkets prepared themselves for sky-rocketing sales of passion fruit, pineapples, lychees and papaya.
Nevertheless, Smith has been heavily criticised for her latest efforts. Gordon Ramsay waded into the Delia debate in early May when he described her latest book as an “insult” to British cooking.
“She removed all that intimidation out of food, gave the nation an amazing amount of joy for years and you know it’s a real insult now.. I’m frustrated that we have to teach the nation to cook from a tin, tinned mince!” the controversial Scot said.
However, Cheshire-based nutritionist Sabra Ralph argues Smith is still teaching us what some of us have forgotten: the importance of cooking.
“I hope those that watched Delia Smith’s new programme will be encouraged to try out some of her other recipes and then expand their range,” she tells FPJ. “Hopefully those that don’t cook can then develop a basic skill and begin to develop an interest not only in how to put food together, but also discover what else they can do. Before we know it, more people will be cooking their own meals, and hopefully will move on to real food rather than processed versions.
“It’s all about confidence, cash and knowledge. We are a nation that buys more cookery books and watches more cookery programmes than most other nations, yet we don’t cook - why? A lack of cash, confidence and knowledge - and, for some of us, time.”
Perhaps if Delia brought out a cookery book and programme solely focusing on fruit and vegetables, the industry could see a massive spike in sales. Here’s hoping.
FACT FILE ON DELIA SMITH
• Delia Smith is the UK’s best-selling cookery writer, selling more than 18 million copies of her books
• Her first-ever cookbook became a best seller in 1971
• Smith’s cookbooks include Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course, Delia’s How to Cook Books 1-3 and Delia Smith’s Summer Collection
• She began her career as a cookery writer in 1969, working for the Daily Mirror’s new magazine
• Delia announced her retirement from television in 2003, only to return four years later with her new book and TV programme, How to Cheat at Cooking
• She became director of Norwich City FC in 1996
No comments yet