Delia Smith has come to the defence of her latest controversial book and TV series, calling its detractors ignorant.

This week, having bided her time during the media storm, she told Guardian bloggers, “I think a lot of people who criticised me did so out of ignorance of what I was doing.”

She added: “That kind of criticism can be tomorrow’s fish-and-chip paper.”

‘How to Cheat at Cooking’ caused a stir when it hit our screens in February. The concept was a reworking of her 1971 cookery book of the same title for a modern audience.

The high priestess of celebrity chefs targeted viewers who like to cook but are pressed for time. She encouraged them to use branded convenience foods such as Aunt Bessie’s frozen mash as short-cut ingredients in traditional dishes like shepherd’s pie.

But critics slammed the show as little more than product placement, and rolled their eyes as she recommended fast food not fresh, non-organic canned mince and over-packaged processed potatoes.

Delia did however admit that she values informed criticism. In an article debating the importance of critics, she praised the Sunday Times’ AA Gill and the London Evening Standard’s Fay Maschler. Shrewd as ever, she highlighted the similarity between chefs and reviewers, saying, ‘critics are important but you have to choose the ones who have taste’. How apt.

Read Delia’s full comment at: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/organgrinder/2008/06/question_of_the_week_do_critic.html