Two Fat Ladies serve up calories and wit

"Cooking with the Two Fat Ladies" features many fattening feasts
VXtreme Video CNN's Bill Tush reports

In this story:

• Chefs they are not
• Whole Beast on a Spit

February 16, 1998
Web posted at: 11:55 p.m. EST (0455 GMT)

From Correspondent Bill Tush

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Jennifer Patterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright, who travel around Britain whipping up such leaden delicacies as Mitten of Pork, have come to the New World to capitalize on their fame.

"Two Fat Ladies," their popular BBC cooking show, is one of the hottest programs on America's Food Network. They have also published a cookbook, "Cooking with the Two Fat Ladies."

Not only do they capitalize on their girth and mordant wit, they also travel to their British locations on a motorcycle with a sidecar. In fact, it's become their trademark.

"We're never in a studio," says Patterson, the owlish one with the spectacles. "We actually take over people's kitchens.

"We go to some really lovely places and they take a great deal of effort finding them," says Wright.

The inevitable question, of course, is how Wright manages to wedge herself into the sidecar. "I'm fitter than I look," she says.

Another thing Patterson and Wright agree on is that while they may host a cooking show, chefs they are not.

"We're cooks," says Patterson.

"Chefs have brigades," adds Wright, "White hats...."

Whole Beast on a Spit

Their cookbook includes such recipes as Whole Beast on a Spit.

"It's very easy," says Wright, "but what's amazing is you still cook the lamb 20 minutes to a pound. I've done quite a lot of them, sheep, so I've had a lot of practice. Pigs are difficult."

Obviously, the cookbook is not for weight-watchers.

"No, they can buy other books for that," Wright says. "If people want to be that unhappy, why should we worry about them?"

"There are hundreds of terrible books for people that watch their calories," Patterson agrees. "These terrible diets, fat-free and filth like that...."

It almost makes you want to throw another side of bacon in that Mitten of Pork.

Related sites:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

• The Food Network's CyberKitchen
  • Two Fat Ladies
• BBC Online

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

---

 

---

Sound off on our message boards & chat

© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.