Agony Chef

It has tried-and-tested recipes in it, but it isn't a cookbook. It's made up, but it isn't a novel. Agony Chef, the mysterious Delilah, is a witty advice-giver, food-lover and a bit of a know-it-all who seems rather like the alter ego of author Kate Sidley, but isn't her, actually. There's no problem, big or small, that sardonic advice, a good pun and a well-chosen recipe won't solve. Whether you've run over the neighbour's cat or want to feel like Mother of the Year, whether your son's exited the closet or you've just smoked your last cigarette, Agony Chef Delilah is the go-to girl for the vexing situations of modern life. Part-agony aunt, part-foodie, Delilah has been there, cooked that. Neither psychologist nor chef, she's lived an eventful life on a few continents, making and fixing mistakes both in the kitchen and in everyday life. Join Delilah as she shares her wit and wisdom, her opinions and recipes and her touching belief that food and good humour can mend fences and hearts in The Agony Chef, a unique concept in cookery books that puts hilarious, fictitious agony aunt columns alongside delicious, real recipes.Learn how to control an errant husband with passive-aggressive cooking; discover the mysterious etiquette that applies to the newly facelifted; indulge in the marvellous magic of make-up ceps; make a pasta dish so delicious that your guests weep and beg for your hand in marriage; find answers to the trickiest modern day questions: What should I cook for my obese aunt? How do I welcome my fiance's gorgeous ex? When did a food aversion become an acceptable replacement for a personality? And many more...

Kate Sidley writes a weekly column on books for Sunday Times and a monthly humour column for Shape magazine. Previously a magazine editor, she now writes features and columns for many magazines and newspapers. The Agony Chef is her first book. Kate loves to cook, but lays no claim to 'chefiness'.