When Two Fat Ladies aired on PBS and the Food Network from 1997 to 1999, it was an unusual, droll take on the cooking show. Jennifer Paterson (right) and
Clarissa Dickson Wright (left), the portly women of the title, traveled around Britain in a Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle and sidecar to prepare old-fashioned British meals for different sets of guests. The setting for each dinner was nearly as interesting as the food — Westminster Cathedral, an Irish convent and a safari park — and the ladies always made a point of collecting fresh ingredients from local farmers, fishermen, butchers and bakers. They often broke into song, glorified “streaky bacon” and cream, and joked about vegetarians. The series ended when Paterson died of lung cancer in 1999. All 24 episodes are now available on Two Fat Ladies: The Complete Series ($38), a two-disc DVD set that includes a tribute to Paterson. As for the recipes, they’re available in the cookbooks Cooking with the Two Fat Ladies (from $10.36, used and new on Amazon), The Two Fat Ladies Ride Again (from $2.50, used and new, on Amazon) and The Two Fat Ladies Full Throttle (used and new from $5.20). Jennifer Paterson’s Seasonal Receipts (used and new from $4.74) contains recipes from Paterson’s weekly column in the British Spectator. Whether you try their recipes for chicken and ginger soup, sugar-browned potatoes or chocolate crème brulée, you’re in for a treat.




















