Finally take a double square of baking parchment with a 50p-sized hole in the centre (for extra protection during the cooking) and place this not on top of the mixture itself but on the rim of the brown paper. Bake the cake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 4 hours until it feels springy in the centre when lightly touched. Sometimes it can take 30–45 minutes longer than this, but in any case don’t look at it for 4 hours. Smith became a recognisable figure amongst young people in the 1970s and early 1980s when she was an occasional guest on the BBC's Saturday morning children's programme Multicoloured Swap Shop, giving basic cooking demonstrations. In 2010 she appeared in a five-episode series, Delia through the Decades, with each episode exploring a new decade of her cooking. [11] Do make sure you keep a regular eye on the water underneath and top it up with boiling water straight from the kettle about halfway through the time. When the pudding is steamed, let it get quite cold, then remove the baking parchment and foil and replace them with some fresh ones, again making a string handle for easy manoeuvring.

Over 100 new recipes include 5 different kinds of Christmas cake and foolproof ways to ice them, a complete vegetarian Christmas including Cheese Terrine with Apricot Chutney, and recipes for Christmas gifts such as Chocolate Truffles. Christmas is the time when you most want everything to run smoothly - with Delia Smith's Christmas at your side you can relax and enjoy it. From 1993 to 1998 Smith worked as a consultant for Sainsbury's. In May 1993 she and her husband Michael Wynn-Jones launched New Crane Publishing to publish Sainsbury's Magazine; the company also published several of Smith's books for BBC Worldwide. Although Smith and Wynn-Jones sold New Crane Publishing in 2005, Smith continues to be a consultant for Seven Publishing which now publishes the magazine. Wallop, Harry (3 March 2010). "Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal to star in Waitrose ads". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 March 2010.

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Delia Smith is Britain's bestselling cookery writer, whose books have sold over 21.5 million to date. She began her writing career 50 years ago on the Daily Mirror and since then has presented very many cookery series on television and published numerous bestselling cookery books including Delia Smith's Cookery Course, Summer and Winter Collections, The Vegetarian Collection, Delia's How to Cook and Delia's Happy Christmas among others. Delia returned to television in 1990, this time to help us through the daunting task of cooking for Christmas. The book of the series, DELIA SMITH'S CHRISTMAS has sold over 1,500,000 copies. In 1973 Delia began her TV career presenting a new series for BBC 1 entitled 'Family Fare,” with accompanying booklets, which ran until 1975. During this time she wrote RECIPES FROM COUNTRY INNS AND RESTAURANTS (1973) and THE EVENING STANDARD COOKBOOK (1974). Three more booklets linked to her BBC TV "Look East" slots were published between 1975 to 1977. Next came FRUGAL FOOD (1976) and DELIA SMITH'S BOOK OF CAKES (1977).

Place the ladle, now gently flaming, on top of the pudding - but don't pour it over until you reach the table (if you don't have a gas hob, warm the brandy in a small saucepan). When you do, pour it slowly over the pudding, sides and all and watch it flame to the cheers of the assembled company! When both flames and cheers have died down, serve the pudding with Christmas Rum Sauce, Cumberland Rum Butter or Brown Sugar Brandy Butter - see below. This cookbook will help you to plan your Christmas festivities to the very last culinary detail, acting as an invaluable Christmas organiser from reminding you to make your Christmas pudding and chutneys in November to giving you a crucial countdown for the Last 36 Hours. Grimmer, Dan (11 August 2011). "Delia Smith steps down from Norwich City catering role". Eastern Daily Press . Retrieved 15 December 2017.

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In 2012 Smith was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork – the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover – to celebrate the British cultural figures of the last six decades. [21] Her first cookery book (1971) was HOW TO CHEAT AT COOKING. The following year she started a column on the Evening Standard which she was to write for 12 years. Later she wrote a successful column for the Radio Times until 1986. In 1969 Smith was taken on as the cookery writer for the Daily Mirror's newly launched magazine. Their deputy editor was Michael Wynn-Jones, whom she later married. Her first piece featured kipper pâté, beef in beer and cheesecake. She baked the cake that was used on the cover of The Rolling Stones' album Let It Bleed. [9] In 1972 Smith started a column in the Evening Standard. She later defected to the rival Evening News, but she returned to the Standard when that newspaper bought out the News. She wrote for both for 12 years; later she wrote a column for the Radio Times until 1986.