“TikTok’s viral cucumber salad recipe sends couple to hospital.” Could any headline more aptly sum up the skills vacuum that haunts an entire generation when it comes to cooking?
The recipe in question involved slicing up a cucumber and adding some flavour by way of sauce and spice – to even call it “cooking” would be somewhat of a stretch – and the influencer couple in question ended up in hospital because the man used a mandoline to do the slicing. Suffice to say he wasn’t as careful as he should have been. (Fear not, the pair were back to making social media videos the second they’d returned from A&E to reattach the tip of his finger.)
It’s not the only indication that all is not well in the kitchen. Delia Smith, Britain’s OG doyenne of home cooking, said in a recent Times interview that she “feel[s] sorry that a lot of young people don’t know what a good pork chop is like”, and that she “can’t bear” to watch modern cooking shows. To her, Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver represent “the last of the last army” of proper recipe writers for home cooks. She didn’t come right out and say that young people have lost their way – but there seemed a suggestion that times have changed. And not necessarily for the better.
The 83-year-old knows more than a little something about the business of food. Her Complete Cookery Course book, published in 1989, revolutionised home cooking, teaching several generations how to make delicious meals for the first time with precise, step-by-step instructions. She followed it with hit after hit, as well as presenting hugely popular cooking shows like Delia’s How to Cook. Dubbed the “Delia effect”, her recommendation of certain products or ingredients at the height of her fame was credited with prompting an instant increase in their sales.
This story is from the August 20, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 20, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
'I didn't think I'd make it'
Adam Smith, the commentator with a voice synonymous with boxing’, tells Alex Pattle about his enforced absence from the sport and his agonising battle with cancer
England charge back after early Australian fireworks
England weathered some early fireworks from Travis Head to restrict Australia to 179 in their series-opening T20 against Australia.
Reeves must cut the gloom to return the UK to growth
Not many people are inclined to feel much sympathy for Rachel Reeves at the moment the cut to winter fuel payments could hardly have gone down worse but she’s been dealt a dismal hand. And now the economy has stalled on her.
Stones opens up on Euros hurt and Harry's hundred.
Defender eyes century of caps as young Lions add energy’
‘Age gap, schmage gap - it's a bit cringe, but love is love'
Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall are co-writers, co-stars, and married. They tell Ellie Harrison what it’s like to work together on their hit comedy series Colin from Accounts’
How 'Funeral' cost Arcade Fire blood, sweat and tears
Mark Beaumont talks to members of the band about how the seminal album was shaped by death, near-fatal live shows and the Montreal music scene, 20 years since its initial release
'I realised he could kill me
After James Barr’s ex became abusive, the comedian ended up living in fear of his partner. He believes we need to talk more about domestic violence in the queer community
'I use my fuel allowance to go out for dinner at The Ivy'
As the backlash grows over the decision to cut the benefit for some pensioners, Zoe Beaty heads to Harrogate in Yorkshire where she nears two very different takes on Labour’s policy
Where's a warm winter trip outside the Schengen area?
A Brexit really does keep on giving, doesn’t it? The decision to leave the European Union was followed by the UK securing its status as a “third country”, alongside Paraguay and East Timor, thereby making British travellers subject to all kinds of red tape.
The thrilling tale of six days that changed Britain forever
Ben Macintyre’s unputdownable new book The Siege’ tells the story of an SAS op like no other, writes Robert McCrum
