I watched Sophie Dahl's new cookery programme on BBC 2 last night. And I actually really rather enjoyed it. It felt like a fun frolic with your ever so-slightly rebellious friend. It's had a bit of so-so media coverage and unfair comparisons to Nigella-the-godess-Lawson. She's not trying to steal her crown but yes, it's a bit similar, a bit sickly sweet and a bit pretentious. But in a way, that is all the things I love in a cookery show. There'll be 6 shows in all, each emotionally themed, this week was food for when you're feeling Selfish.
The title is unashamedly Roald Dahl. But actually, Sophie Dahl is an enchanting story-teller in her own right. And she was the muse for Sophie in the BFG. She had a excellent way with words, scripted or not, and this was the best feature of the show to me. She oozed enthusiasm in this respect but I couldn't help but feel that this didn't quite cross over in the food. It was good-looking wholesome food. I took some ideas from it, but it wasn't earth-shatteringly good. With the plethora of whimsical women donning our screens with 'new' cooking ideas I think the food in The Delicious Miss Dahl could have been better.
I did like the interludes, of Dahl in little shops musing and lusting over items. I think she tried to appeal to all the classes and all the viewers, careful not to emphasise her generous upbringing and probably sizable fortune. I think she liked food, but if anything I wanted a bit more Nigella-based indulgence.
All in all, a nice tuesday night drift into dreaming of the good-life, the good food and the good-times. I might not be buying her cookery book, but I'll be watching next week, Romance, and I may indulge in her novella.
In particular one quote that I liked was this,
"Be admired by an American, courted by an Italian, married to an Englishman and have a French boyfriend."
Katharine Hepburn
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