Clarissa Dickson Wright: TV Cook Dies Aged 66

Clarissa Dickson Wright, who became famous as one half of the Two Fat Ladies, has died at the age of 66.

The television cook's agents confirmed to Sky News that she passed away at Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary on Saturday.

Heather Holden-Brown and Elly James said: "Loved dearly by her friends and many fans all over the world, Clarissa was utterly non-PC and fought for what she believed in, always, with no thought to her own personal cost.

"Her fun and laughter, extraordinary learning and intelligence, will be missed always, by so many of us."

Dickson Wright was born in St John's Wood, London, and christened Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Dickson Wright.

She began cooking after her career as a barrister was brought to an end by alcoholism. She had been teetotal for almost 27 years before her death.

Dickson Wright was a pro-hunting campaigner

Until last year she was the youngest woman ever to be called to the Bar, after passing her exams aged 21.

In 1996 the BBC paired Dickson Wright with the late Jennifer Paterson for the Two Fat Ladies series which became hugely popular.

Producer Patricia Llewellyn had discovered her working in an Edinburgh cookery bookshop and decided to introduce her to Paterson, who said she had never had a cookery lesson.

The women would travel the country on a Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle and sidecar and would prepare meals for members of the public.

The series spawned a number of best-selling cookbooks and Dickson Wright wrote a number herself, including her autobiography, Spilling The Beans, and The History Of English Food which was released in 2011.

Paterson died from cancer in July 1999.

Dickson Wright and Paterson (right) who died in 1999

Spokeswoman Ms James said Dickson Wright, who lived in Inveresk, a village east of Edinburgh, "hadn't been well for a little while" and had been in hospital since the beginning of the year.

Dickson Wright was a pro-hunting campaigner and in 2009 pleaded guilty to hunting offences after attending two hare coursing events in North Yorkshire in 2007.

And she recently hit the headlines when she suggested that Britons should eat badgers.

"It would solve the problem. There's going to be a cull, so rather than just throw them in the landfill site, why not eat them?" she said.

She was also installed as Rector of the University of Aberdeen in 1999.

A university spokeswoman said: "We are saddened to learn of the death of Clarissa Dickson Wright. She brought her individualism and style to many University of Aberdeen events - including the creation of a medieval feast in support of student hardship funds.

"Our former Rector was very popular with the student body, bringing to this role an incisiveness which reflected her former career as a barrister."

(function(d){ var js, ref = d.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; js = d.createElement('script'); js.id = 'outbrainjs'; js.async = true; js.src = "//widgets.outbrain.com/outbrain.js"; ref.parentNode.insertBefore(js, ref); }(document));

View the original article here