Nigella’s recipes don’t always make easy readingNigella Lawson and Delia Smith’s chatty writing style is making their recipes harder to understand than books by male celebrity chefs, literacy experts said.
Nigel Slater’s recipes are written in the easiest language, a study by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)’ Get On campaign found.
The literacy experts analysed five of Slater’s recipes and all had a “readability” of entry level three or below. This level is broadly equivalent to the standard of English expected in an 11-year-old.
By contrast, analysis of Delia and Nigella’s recipes show some of them use language broadly equivalent to level one English – roughly the standard of a GCSE.
The literacy experts analysed a minimum of five recipes each in books by Delia, Nigella, Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Slater.
The experts found the three male chefs used less chat and a more direct approach than… Read the full story