Jennifer Paterson
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Mary Paterson was a British
celebrity chef
, actress and television personality
who appeared on the television programme Two Fat Ladies
with Clarissa Dickson Wright.
The pair were famous for their rich traditional meals made from scratch. Paterson was known for her liberal use of butter and cream, remarking on her television show in her usual manner with a shake of the hand, that yogurt was only fit for vegetarians and those with "a dicky tummy."
Their preferred means of transportation was a motorcycle
with sidecar
, which Paterson drove.
, coffee, and chocolates after the demise of any form of servant. My father, having gone through two world wars, was far too frightened to put on a kettle and my brothers who married young to very good wives...never showed any signs of wanting to whip up something delicious for a treat."
Paterson was expelled
from convent school at 15 for being disruptive.
Paterson later became a matron at a girls' boarding school
near Reading before ending up as a cook for the Uganda
n legation in London and becoming a well-known figure on the London party circuit. She worked on the ITV show Candid Camera
and later became a food writer for The Spectator
and provided weekly lunches for personalities, including the Prince of Wales, for 15 years. She later wrote a book of recipes and reminiscences from her time at The Spectator entitled Feast Days, Recipes from The Spectator, in the introduction to which the English writer A.N. Wilson professed, "Jennifer Paterson is the best cook I know."
Paterson was a devout Roman Catholic who never married. She died in 1999 of lung cancer
in London. She asked for caviar
for her last meal but died before she could eat it. She was cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium
, and her ashes were then buried in the cemetery there.
She was survived by an uncle, Anthony Bartlett OBE (who died in 2000), a close associate of Cardinal Basil Hume to whom he was Gentiluomo
.
Paterson was a parishioner of the London Oratory
. She would cook for the Fathers on a weekly basis. A portrait of her hangs in the Kitchen of Oratory House.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
celebrity chef
Celebrity chef
A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become famous and well known. Today celebrity chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television. Historically, celebrity chefs have included Antoine Carême and Martino da Como.-External...
, actress and television personality
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
who appeared on the television programme Two Fat Ladies
Two Fat Ladies
Two Fat Ladies was a BBC Two television cooking programme starring Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson. It originally ran for four seasons, from 1996 to 1999. The show was produced by the BBC and also appeared on the Food Network in the U.S. and on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
with Clarissa Dickson Wright.
The pair were famous for their rich traditional meals made from scratch. Paterson was known for her liberal use of butter and cream, remarking on her television show in her usual manner with a shake of the hand, that yogurt was only fit for vegetarians and those with "a dicky tummy."
Their preferred means of transportation was a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
with sidecar
Sidecar
A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, producing a three-wheeled vehicle.-History:A sidecar appeared in a cartoon by George Moore in the January 7, 1903, issue of the British newspaper Motor Cycling. Three weeks later, a provisional patent was...
, which Paterson drove.
Personal life
Paterson's life was as unconventional as her on-screen persona suggested. She came from an army family, of which she later wrote, "My mother had no idea of how to cook and no wish to learn, existing on gorgonzolaGorgonzola
Gorgonzola is a comune in the province of Milan, part of Lombardy, northern Italy. Once a rural community, and famous for the cheese which bears its name, today it forms part of the Milanese conurbation and has three stops on the Milan Metro.- History :...
, coffee, and chocolates after the demise of any form of servant. My father, having gone through two world wars, was far too frightened to put on a kettle and my brothers who married young to very good wives...never showed any signs of wanting to whip up something delicious for a treat."
Paterson was expelled
Expulsion (academia)
Expulsion or exclusion refers to the permanent removal of a student from a school system or university for violating that institution's rules. Laws and procedures regarding expulsion vary between countries and states.-State sector:...
from convent school at 15 for being disruptive.
Paterson later became a matron at a girls' boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
near Reading before ending up as a cook for the Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
n legation in London and becoming a well-known figure on the London party circuit. She worked on the ITV show Candid Camera
Candid Camera
Candid Camera is a hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as Candid Microphone June 28, 1947...
and later became a food writer for The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
and provided weekly lunches for personalities, including the Prince of Wales, for 15 years. She later wrote a book of recipes and reminiscences from her time at The Spectator entitled Feast Days, Recipes from The Spectator, in the introduction to which the English writer A.N. Wilson professed, "Jennifer Paterson is the best cook I know."
Paterson was a devout Roman Catholic who never married. She died in 1999 of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in London. She asked for caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
for her last meal but died before she could eat it. She was cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium
Putney Vale Cemetery
Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium in London is surrounded by Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park, and is located within forty-seven acres of parkland. The cemetery was opened in 1891 and the crematorium in 1938...
, and her ashes were then buried in the cemetery there.
She was survived by an uncle, Anthony Bartlett OBE (who died in 2000), a close associate of Cardinal Basil Hume to whom he was Gentiluomo
Gentiluomo of the Archbishop of Westminster
The Gentiluomo of the Archbishop of Westminster, in the Roman Catholic Church of the United Kingdom, was a bodyguard and personal attendant to the Archbishop....
.
Paterson was a parishioner of the London Oratory
London Oratory
The London Oratory is a Catholic oratory, a community of lay-brothers, and the name given to the London Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri...
. She would cook for the Fathers on a weekly basis. A portrait of her hangs in the Kitchen of Oratory House.
DVD release
The Two Fat Ladies DVD set contains a 40-minute BBC tribute to Paterson that aired in 2004. The DVD box set was released in the United States in July 2008. The Acorn Media release contains all 24 episodes across four discs. The show previously was released in Britain as a Region 2 DVD set.External links
- Jennifer Paterson at BBC Food