i remember delia smith doing a book about cutting corners and buying in things, and i think it'sjustd to make everything yourself but now, you know, because the supply of good quality — notjust fresh produce, but things like stocks and sauces — is so advanced and it's so easy to get good sauces, so why not bring them into a recipe? do you have a sense of mission about these books? i'm afraid so! you're an evangelist? iam. i think if you care for something you end up being a bit of an evangelist anyway, because you're just saying, "why can't they see this?" do you sometimes think, looking back at your books, tv presenting, the business that you run, all the people that you give work to, all the other people you give pleasure to through your books, we're sitting here by the river thames, on a beautiful day, the rootless kid who didn't really know what he was doing and was sweeping the streets — you have come quite a long way. yeah, i suppose so. but i sort of... i think the problem is that you sort of think somebody‘s going to find you out. you're a bluffer, really? yeah, in some curio