Delia quits cooking for football

Delia's putting her cooking days behind her.

Television chef Delia Smith is quitting the cookery business to concentrate on her first love - Norwich City Football Club.

The woman who has spent 30 years teaching the nation how to cook has announced she will never do another book or TV show, because she is "reciped out".

She now intends to devote her time to her beloved Norwich City Football Club, nicknamed the Canaries.

"No more television or books. This football club and these people are my life and I'm having fun and I'm now devoting myself to Norwich Football Club and that's it," she said.

I just cannot think of any more recipes right now - I've been doing it for 30 years and I've had enough.

Delia Smith

Delia said she had simply run out of recipe ideas.

"I just cannot think of any more recipes right now - I've been doing it for 30 years and I've had enough.

"I'm 60 and I've decided to do something else with my life and that thing is this," she said of the club, of which she is a director.

Delia also admitted that she rarely cooks for herself - and if she does it is likely to be cheese on toast with pickle.

She believes there are now too many celebrity chefs.

She said: "What's happened to the amateur cook in the country house? Or that lady down the pub who only the locals knew about and who cooked up a storm?

"Now everyone wants to be on TV. The bubble will burst, I know it will."

Club catering

Delia's love for Norwich City began in 1969 when her husband, Michael Wynn-Jones, took her to a game.

In the 1990s they took up places on the board and since then she has taken over running of the club's catering, including the introduction of an upmarket restaurant.

She is so devoted to the club that she recently cut short a holiday in Provence to fly back by private jet to see Norwich play Sunderland.

New titles

Despite her announcement, Delia still has book projects on the go.

BBC Books says it has signed a multi-book contract with her, and the first four titles are due out in the autumn.

The books are compiled from both old and new recipes.

More than 10m of her books have sold over the years.