Today I had a look on Amazon, and am very glad I did.
The new book is in fact an updated version of the original. But when you read the reviews on amazon, my goodness. The main criticisms - all pretty fair as far as I can see - are:
The measurements are only in metric. No good at all for those who have old-fashioned scales. Also, people who have bought numerous new books in the past 12 months say they all have dual measurements.
The ingredients are not listed one item per line, but in a sort of paragraph.
And they're in pale sage green type.
Delia has signed up with a cake-tin company to put her name on a range of tins. Nothing wrong with that except she is insisting in the book that 'recipes and tin sizes have changed so old tins don't work with new recipes'
There are apparently recipes from the original book, but quoted with a new tin size - which lo and behold is available in her range but not generally.
The photography is very arty which is fine, but it's cakes, and they have come out in very strange-looking colours and textures, a lot are blue or green-hued
One reviewer, not by any means totally slagging it off, said (more or less) for heavens' sake just buy Mary Berry, she's the baking queen, her recipes are simple and always work - and the pictures actually resemble what you turn out in your own kitchen
These were not by any means bitchy reviews, nor were they from people who were anti-Delia, far from it.
So, having decided that although I don't do a lot of baking, I'd quite like a cake or baking book, my money is now firmly going Mary's way. Either her Baking Bible or Ultimate Cake Book
