BAFTA tribute for Delia Smith

04.03.13 | Benedicte Page - The Bookseller

Cookery writer Delia Smith is to receive a BAFTA Special Award at a tribute event on 30th April.

The award will celebrate her body of work in television cookery over the last 40 years, and comes shortly after Smith launched the Delia Online Cookery School, criticising television for becoming too focused on cooking as entertainment.
Andrea Newman, chair of BAFTA's Television Committee, said that Delia Smith had paved the way for Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson, plus hits like "The Great British Bake-Off" and "Masterchef".

"Delia Smith is one of the most influential voices in television cookery and has played an important role in not only pioneering the genre in television but also shaping the perception of cooking in the nation's consciousness," she said.

Smith's new book, Delia's Cakes (Hodder & Stoughton), published last week, is an updated reissue of one of her first titles, Delia's Book of Cakes, dating from 1977.