One has sold more than 21million cookery books and has the ability to spark a run on anything from cranberries to Normandy sunblush tomatoes.
The other has written one tome which dishes out such sage advice as stopping cakes from going stale by putting them in ‘an airtight tin’ and how to toast marshmallows.
There’s a world of difference between Delia Smith and Pippa Middleton when it comes to tips about food. But that hasn’t stopped Waitrose ditching the former and giving the latter her own column in its magazine.
‘Pippa’s Friday Night Feasts’ will advise on the best meals to start the weekend off with friends. ‘It will,’ the 29-year-old says, ‘be an exciting opportunity to share my own passion and enthusiasm for food and entertaining.’
Book: Pippa and her publisher Penguin hoped Celebrate would be a much bigger success than it actually was
A picture of a beaming Pippa features on the front cover of the latest edition of the Waitrose Kitchen magazine.
She said: ‘I’m delighted to be writing for Waitrose Kitchen, a magazine that’s always been a source of inspiration to me.’
Editor William Sitwell said his latest signing would be ‘an excellent contributor…bringing with her a wealth of experience of entertaining’.
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He added: ‘Readers will love her relaxed and easy entertaining ideas which will help with the preparation for all sorts of occasions.’
The company refused to issue a copy of the first column due out on March 28.
However, if Miss Middleton’s book Celebrate is anything to go by readers can expect such illuminating advice as having a bonfire on Bonfire Night and serving pumpkin soup in a hollowed-out pumpkin at Halloween.
The decision by Waitrose to drop Delia earlier this year was met with uproar among many of its customers, who have relied on her cooking know-how for decades.
Fanfare: Pippa pictured with her guide to entertaining in October and the writing jobs continue to come in for her
Success: Pippa's celebrity went through the roof after her sister's marriage to Prince William in April 2011
Jane Fearnley Whittingstall, the mother of TV chef Hugh, said the 71-year-old’s guidance was more important than ever because of the austerity that has driven many households to need to cook from scratch.
Celebrity chef: Delia Smith, 71, parted company with Waitrose last month after three years of appearing in its adverts for seasonal food and recipes
The deal with Waitrose follows further evidence of how the Middletons appear to be cashing in on their association with the Royal Family.
In December, only weeks after the announcement that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting her first child, the Middletons’ ‘Party Pieces’ website presented a range of baby goods. The ‘Little Prince’ and ‘Little Princess’ party packs are described as suitable for American-style baby showers.
Last year, the website set up by Pippa and Kate’s mother Carole in 1987, offered paraphernalia themed around the Royal Wedding and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Shoppers will have to pay £1.20 a month for a copy of the Waitrose magazine if they want to discover Pippa’s advice on feasting, although it is free to those with Waitrose and John Lewis cards.
The column on the magazine appears to be part of a PR strategy to create a Pippa brand.
As Richard Kay revealed in the Mail yesterday, she has started using her name and photograph to promote the products sold on the Party Pieces website.
This significant move to boost her own profile occurred in between her holidaying in Mustique with stockbroker Nico Jackson, 35, and then taking off on a skiing trip with him in Zermatt.
PRINCE CHARLES TO HIRE MANAGER FOR 'BUMPER' AMOUNT OF BABY POST
Prince Charles is looking for somebody with ‘tact and discretion’ to handle his mail and that of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. In 2012 St James’s Palace received 35,157 items of correspondence.
Aides are predicting a ‘bumper’ post this year because of the impending birth of William and Kate’s first child.
Closing date for applications for the post of ‘general correspondence secretary’ is March 1. No salary is mentioned.