ANTONY Worrall Thompson dubbed her the Volvo of cooking, reliable but dull, while Gary Rhodes accused her of insulting the intelligence of viewers when she demonstrated how to boil an egg.

But despite the criticisms of fellow celebrity chefs, Delia Smith is a name synonymous with good food. Not only has she guided us for more than 35 years in all things culinary, but the word Delia now appears in the Collins English Dictionary - defined as any basic British dish or recipe devoid of frills.

For someone whose whole ethos has been about real food and cooking properly, her new book, How To Cheat At Cooking, seems to go slightly against the grain. A completely updated version of her first cookery book of the same name, published in 1971, How To Cheat At Cooking features new short-cut ingredients including Aunt Bessie's frozen mashed potato and branded store-cupboard staples such as Heinz tomato frito.

Aimed at two types - busy people and people who are afraid of cooking - it won't gain you Michelin stars, she agrees, but it will provide tasty food in minutes.

The book will be followed by a new BBC2 series this month, simply called Delia, which shows how to make short cuts in cooking, as well as glimpses of her life outside the kitchen.