Cheat

Cheating certainly doesn't mean any reduction in flavour or quality of the finished dish: all it does is free your time up by using a brilliant shop-bought ingredient. What could be simpler?

A picture of Delia's A Summer Trifle with Raspberries and Raspberry Puree recipe

Summer Trifle with Raspberries

This is a moveable feast, because any combination can be used - all strawberries, or strawberries and raspb...

This is a moveable feast, because any combination can be used - all strawberries, or strawberries and raspberries mixed, or even a few redcurrants would be a great add...

A picture of Delia's A Very Quick Moussaka recipe

Quick Moussaka

If we were talking journalese here this recipe would be called a cut-and-paste job. Everything here is r...

If we were talking journalese here this recipe would be called a cut-and-paste job. Everything here is ready-made, and all we cheats have to do is add in some subtl...

30 minutes - 35 minutes

A picture of Delia's Asian Steak Sandwiches recipe

Asian Steak Sandwiches

No not bread sarnies. These are slices of sticky, fragrant marinated steak, served wrapped in lettuce le...

No not bread sarnies. These are slices of sticky, fragrant marinated steak, served wrapped in lettuce leaves. NOTE: This recipe is from the book Delia's Ho...

A picture of Delia's Asparagus with Nearly Hollandaise recipe

Asparagus with Nearly Hollandaise

Hurry, hurry. The English asparagus (best in the world) season is very short, so best to eat as much as ...

Hurry, hurry. The English asparagus (best in the world) season is very short, so best to eat as much as we can, while it’s freshly picked. Hollandaise can be tricky...

A picture of Delia's Avocado Mousse with Prawns and Vinaigrette recipe

Avocado with Prawns and Vinaigrette

The mousse is a lovely pale pistachio colour, whiich provides a beautiful contrast to some pink juicy prawn...

The mousse is a lovely pale pistachio colour, whiich provides a beautiful contrast to some pink juicy prawns. If you buy the prawns in their shells, you can u...

A picture of Delia's Banana Bread Pudding with Toffee Sauce recipe

Banana Bread Pudding with Toffee Sauce

This is a lightened-up version of the old English classic that used leftover bread. Cheats just need to ...

This is a lightened-up version of the old English classic that used leftover bread. Cheats just need to grab some dried breadcrumbs and throw it all together. Serve...

35 minutes - 45 minutes

A picture of Delia's Black Bean and Jalapeno Dip with Potato Wedges recipe

Black Bean and Jalapeno Dip with Potato Wedges

Another little off-the-shelf gem for nibbles or a starter, or even for a few people to share a quick lunch....

Another little off-the-shelf gem for nibbles or a starter, or even for a few people to share a quick lunch. NOTE: This recipe is from the book Delia's How to Cheat ...

A picture of Delia's Butterscotch and Banana Sundaes recipe

Butterscotch and Banana Sundaes

I love Spanish turrón, the brittle, crisp almond confection, and it’s particularly good chopped and sprinkl...

I love Spanish turrón, the brittle, crisp almond confection, and it’s particularly good chopped and sprinkled over really good-quality vanilla ice cream and ...

A picture of Delia's Calamares Fritos (Fried Baby Squid) recipe

Calamares Fritos (Fried Baby Squid)

These are so simple – they take seconds to cook and are good served with Tracklements’ Chilli Jam. I buy...

These are so simple – they take seconds to cook and are good served with Tracklements’ Chilli Jam. I buy mine ready-prepared (still frozen from the fish counter at ...

A picture of Delia's Cauliflower Cheese and Broccoli Soup recipe

Cauliflower Cheese and Broccoli Soup

A lovely fresh-tasting soup this. You can choose the cheese here – basically whatever you have: Roquefor...

A lovely fresh-tasting soup this. You can choose the cheese here – basically whatever you have: Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Cheddar – but this one’s made with Parmesan s...

A picture of Delia's Cheats' Chocolate Rum Gateau recipe

Chocolate Rum Gateau

This recipe, originally invented for Comic Relief is the busy person's chocolate dessert, which is made in ...

This recipe, originally invented for Comic Relief is the busy person's chocolate dessert, which is made in an instant but tastes like you slaved all day. It freezes...

A picture of Delia's Cheats' Chocolate Trifle recipe

Cheats' Chocolate Trifle

This one’s either for people who don’t like to cook or for devoted cooks who nonetheless need something rea...

This one’s either for people who don’t like to cook or for devoted cooks who nonetheless need something really speedy. First, you need to zip round the supermarket ...

A picture of Delia's Cheats' Risotto Milanese recipe

Cheats' Risotto Milanese

This makes a wonderful accompaniment to dishes such as Ossobuco and Italian Braised Beef with Gremolata. ...

This makes a wonderful accompaniment to dishes such as Ossobuco and Italian Braised Beef with Gremolata. The Delia Online Cookery School: You can also watch how to ...

A picture of Delia's Cheats' Turkey with Pistachio and Apricot Stuffing and Pancetta and Cranberry, Balsamic and Sage Sauce recipe

Cheats' Turkey with Stuffing

Have no fear you cheats out there, you can have a very laid-back traditional turkey Christmas lunch of the ...

Have no fear you cheats out there, you can have a very laid-back traditional turkey Christmas lunch of the highest order with very little effort and you won’t even hav...

2 hours 20 minutes

A picture of Delia's Chicken Véronique recipe

Chicken Véronique

Another little treasure, this one, which I think goes particularly well with plain buttered noodles.

Another little treasure, this one, which I think goes particularly well with plain buttered noodles.

A picture of Delia's Cincinnati 5-ways Chilli recipe

Cincinnati 5-ways Chilli

My friend Matt Gocher, who gave me the original non-cheat recipe, is positively one of the country’s leadin...

My friend Matt Gocher, who gave me the original non-cheat recipe, is positively one of the country’s leading chilli experts. Here, the chilli is cooked very slowly ...

A picture of Delia's Coffee Ricotta Mousse recipe

Coffee Ricotta Mousse

A variation on the Chocolate Ricotta Mousse recipe, see below, here given quite a dark, adult coffee flavou...

A variation on the Chocolate Ricotta Mousse recipe, see below, here given quite a dark, adult coffee flavour. NOTE: This recipe is from the book Delia's How to Chea...

A picture of Delia's Creole Prawns recipe

Creole Prawns

As Creole cooking only ever uses green peppers (and the colour’s nice), I’ve included a fresh pepper here. ...

As Creole cooking only ever uses green peppers (and the colour’s nice), I’ve included a fresh pepper here. Otherwise, the equivalent amount from a jar of roasted pe...

A picture of Delia's German Frankfurters and Hot Potato Salad with Mustard Dressing recipe

Frankfurters and Hot Potato Salad

While this is not exactly a cheat recipe, it does embrace thephilosophy of always having store-cupboard ing...

While this is not exactly a cheat recipe, it does embrace thephilosophy of always having store-cupboard ingredients to hand. If you're working and don't have the ti...

A picture of Delia's Gnocchi Carbonara recipe

Gnocchi Carbonara

This is something new, but also something very old. My first ever cookery book was published in 1971. Ca...

This is something new, but also something very old. My first ever cookery book was published in 1971. Called 'How To Cheat At Cooking', it was a book for people who...

6 minutes - 10 minutes

A picture of Delia's Gnocchi with Spinach, Pine Nuts and Dolcelatte recipe

Gnocchi with Spinach

If speed is of the essence, I cannot think of a quicker way to feed four veggies more handsomely. ...

If speed is of the essence, I cannot think of a quicker way to feed four veggies more handsomely. Vegetarians might like to know that a vegetarian parmesan-st...

A picture of Delia's Grilled Polenta with Sage, Parma Ham and Melted Fontina Cheese recipe

Grilled Polenta with Melted Cheese

Ready-made polenta is a great product and now very widely available. In this recipe you will be able to ...

Ready-made polenta is a great product and now very widely available. In this recipe you will be able to create a supremely good first course for six or light lunch ...

A picture of Delia's Lobster Risotto recipe

Lobster Risotto

This one is so classy that no-one will ever suspect it’s a bit of a cheat. Waitrose sells squat lobster ...

This one is so classy that no-one will ever suspect it’s a bit of a cheat. Waitrose sells squat lobster tails in brine, but you can also use cooked dressed lobster,...

A picture of Delia's Minestrone with Orecchiette and Borlotti Beans recipe

Minestrone with Orecchiette

The cheating element come from having most of the vegetables ready prepared and the beans ready cooked. ...

The cheating element come from having most of the vegetables ready prepared and the beans ready cooked. I'm not pretending it's totally authentic but, believe me, t...

35 minutes - 40 minutes

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