What the press is saying about us

Sunday Times 31 August 2003
Rating gastronomic delights by Jenni Muir
'Despite increasing competitiveness among celebrity foodies, Delia Smith is still queen bee of the internet master chefs. This wonderful website has been conceived as carefully as one of her foolproof recipes, 800 of which (including seasonal favourites such as roast monkfish with romesco sauce and summer fruit brulee) are featured online, with sumptuous accompanying pictures.
The cookery school section has collated an enormous selection of readers'm querires, from how best to store eggs to judging the ripeness of a pineapple, creating an insightful guide to kitchen secrets.
Interactive gimmicks, which plague other culinary sites, are avoided in favour of a genuinely effective search facility, forums and online chat sessions with Delia herself.
The text strikes a balance between personal revelation and educational insight, while the sensible layout, with plenty of white space, makes navigation easy. In addition, advertising has recently been toned down and promotional emphasis put (subtly) on special offers instead.'

Web-User 12 December 2002
Gold Award Christmas Cooking Site Test
'Never mind the interlopers. Delia Smith remains the nation's (and the web's) most trusted celebrity chef, and her Christmas fare is suitably up to scratch. All the recipes you need are here: just type 'Christmas' into the search box and you'll find loads. But if you want to get the best out of Delia in the run up to the big day, you're going to have to pay. For a one-off charge of £4.95 you will get a weekly reminder of the chores you must complete, exclusive festive recipes and access to a message board where you can share ideas with other Delia-ites. We think this is far better value than £20 for a glossy hardback by a telly chef (yes Delia, that includes you). Much of the content could probably be found elsewhere on the web, but Delia's magical touch and instructional style almost guarantees a sucessful lunch. The site is absolutely spot-on for the under-confident, and it's worth every penny to have Delia dropping directly into your email box to remind you of what you need to do.'

Metro 3 October 2002
* WEB WATCH*
'Recipe, tutorials and online shopping from one of Britain's best-known coooks. This excellent website allows users to pose questions to Delia Smith as well as publishing handy information such as conversion tables. This mouth-wateringly visual site benefits from the speed of access through broadband and is launching new dynamic content including clips of Delia at work in the kitchen.'

Revolution 25 September 2002
Twinings links with Delia for decaf tea drive
'Tea brand Twinings has linked up with Delia Smith's web site in a month-long advertorial promotion for its Decaffeinated Traditional English product. The advertorial, which highlights the product's health benefit, goes live this week. It will be linked to from Delia Online (www.deliaonline.com) and will also be promoted within Delia's fortnightly email newsletter, which goes out to 75,000 consumers. Nick Downes, commercial director of Delia Online, said: "Research has shown that 93 per cent of users think products advertised on the site are endorsed by Delia. For FMCG brands, this offers a low-risk means of using online advertising."'

Web-user.co.uk 13 December 2001
'We're confident of having a panic-free Christmas this year, and it's (nearly) all thanks to Delia (www.deliaonline.com/Christmas). Even the most hardened kitchen refuseniks will find comfort in our Gold Award winner, where the easy-to-follow, plain English recipes put the emphasis on the stuff that really matters, like how long you're meant to leave the turkey in for. A user-friendly troubleshooter and a wonderful antidote to seasonal stress.'

The Daily Telegraph 6 Oct 2001
'As a purchaser of all Delia Smith's cookery books from the beginning, I love the new-look 'internet Delia'; it has a brilliant selection of recipes to download and try out.' Tom Flood

FHM Bionic October 2001
'A brilliant site equipped with a handy recipe search function. Some bits are still under construction, but does include a fabulously stern picture of the high priestess of food.'

Personal (Sunday Mirror) 18 March 2001
'This huge new site is Delia Smith's first foray into the web. With loads of features – including more than 500 of her recipes with step-by-step instructions, a 'search-by-ingredient' function and automatic shopping lists to print out – it looks to be a winner.'

New Media Age 15 March 2001

Site of the Week
Content 24/25
Usability 24/25
Branding 22/25
Monetisation 17/25
Total 87/100

'Whether you love her or hate her, this site definitely provides culinary inspiration with its illustrated recipes, ingredients archive and an excellent search facility. The Cookery School pages give even the most rudimentary of cooks blow-by-blow instructions on how to prepare the basics, as well as advice on how to choose kitchen equipment. On the e-commerce side, Delia's partners, with the likes of Berry Bros & Rudd, allow you to buy wine, cookware, cheese and more in just a few clicks. Cooking aside, if you're a fan of Delia you'll be able to read her diary and learn about her passion for football. Furthermore, if you become a member, you can use the chatroom to speak to the lady herself.'
Sara Davies

The Mirror 6 March 2001
Kelly's with Matt Kelly
'Watch out for a mad rush on PCs. Delia Smith has just personally endorsed the internet. If her effect on the sale of frying pans is anything to go by, deliaonline.com could be a turning point in the fortunes of the world wide web.

'And not without reason. The site is excellent – possibly the best site launch we've seen in the last six months. The design is fine, but what makes this an essential bookmark to anyone with even a passing interest in cooking is the breadth of content – more than 500 recipes with pictures and a great whack of moron-proof advice such as how to boil an egg.'