The Halo's Slipped

I think Delia has lost the plot. In an attempt to encourage us back into the kitchen she has turned to supermarket shelves for the packets, tins and jars she wants us to use to prepare quick and easy meals for our families and friends. There's no denying that her meals look (and almost certainly taste) delicious but I question whether this is the direction in which we should be heading.

It's true that we are looking for faster ways to get food on the table but I don't believe that this should be at the expense of good quality fresh ingredients locally produced and purchased. Despite what Delia says, I remain unconvinced that a tin of minced lamb will ever taste as good as its fresh organic equivalent bought from the local butcher and browned in a pan with a chopped onion and a few green herbs - and in pretty much the same time. As for frozen mashed potato. How long does it take to peel a few spuds and throw them in a pan of boiling water? There are other issues as well. Convenience food is packaged, often excessively so. It's less likely to be local and will probably have been transported for miles to the supermarket.

However, what I most object to, is the notion that the cooking of a meal should be as quick and efficient as possible. What happened to the joy of cooking - the quiet moments spent preparing an evening meal or the communal effort of producing a feast to share with friends. Instead of cutting down on time spent in the kitchen wouldn't it be better to cut down on some of the activities keeping us out of it?

So no Delia, I'm going to pass on your book, switch on the radio and chop a few onions.