Hello, I'm Christy Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1982, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Our cast away this week is Delia Smith, who lives in Suffolk and who writes and talks about cooking.

Delia, at home, you cook to music.

Yes, I do sometimes. Sometimes I go and put the music on.

If I don't have to concentrate too much, if it's something like a source that might curdle

and I need to concentrate, the music wouldn't be any good.

Music is important in your life apart from those moments of stress at the stove.

Yes, I've always enjoyed music, yes.

Do you sing? Not properly, no, but I have a go.

I sing in the bath and I sing when I'm around the house, cooking and things.

Now, you have eight discs to help you on your desert island.

Could you endure loneliness for a long time?

I think at the beginning, I'd really welcome it.

It would be lovely to be peaceful and silent,

but then I'd be a bit worried, I think, as time went on.

I don't think I'd be very good eventually.

What would be the worst thing, is that any particular

phobia that comes to mind, anything that you hate to be near?

Yes, anything creepy, really, that's likely to hurt me.

I mean, I don't mind spiders and things, they're quite friendly,

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