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Wogan As Cake, Cake As Wogan

Anyone who listens to Terry Wogan will know at least two things:

1. He loves his food, particularly the snorkers. And a curry at 8am

2. Today is his last day on Wake Up to Wogan

Like many of my age I guess, I went to primary school listening to Wogan, and now take MGG to school on the back of Wake Up to Wogan. I remember Wogan on the telly, being elbowed out by some naff soap opera. I remember Blankety Blank. I’ve cried with laughter at Janet and John stories. And, as much as I like Chris Evans, I shall miss him in a morning. So, whilst Terry has not written 5 cookbooks, here are 5 that suit the man and his tastes, in my view!

1. The TOGs Cookbook 2008 - where would Terry be without the TOGs? Well, possibly a little quieter, as they write so much of the great stuff that goes into each show. They are also an amazing group, raising huge sums of money for Children in Need each year. Terry would be proud if every home had a copy of this cookbook, and with £5 going to Children in Need, how could you not make room for it?

2. New Irish Cookery - now, if ever there was a man who was an advert for the Blarney Stone, it would be Sir Tel. And if there was ever an advert for contemporary Irish cooking, then Paul and Jeanne Rankin would be two of those up for the part. This is a great mix of traditional and contemporary cooking, perhaps reflecting Wogan’s music choices that can see you go from Glen Miller to Pixie Lott in about 5 minutes!

3. Finger Lickin’ Way to Fight the Fat - there are a few copies of Fight the Flab still in circulation, and at under £2 it could be an interesting stocking filler, though possibly not an investment. For a 21st century take, this might do the trick, with a focus on great taste and pictures of cake. I think Terry might approve of the cake bit.

4. Tarts With Tops On: or how to make the perfect pie - I was going to go with the appropriately named Pie, but then this title sounds like something out of a Janet & John story, or a reference possibly to Lynn. Pies seem to feature a lot, especially Clark’s Pies, and most seem to get left under angle-poise lamps for a top up on the heating front.

5. The Fat Duck Cookbook - it was difficult to choose one celeb chef, as Sir Terry seems to frequent many a fabulous eating establishment. I was very tempted to go for Richard Corrigan, being another genial, larger than life Irishman. However, Heston just pipped him to the post. My thinking was that Heston’s been known to drop in to do the Christmas cooking tips, Terry went to Heston’s spectacular Christmas thing on Channel 4, but then mainly because whenever Heston has a new series it tends to provoke most reaction on the show! And also he has nicknames on the show, Mr Corrigan doesn’t. Not original ones, but definitely a sign of affection and admiration!

So, we salute you Sir Terry, and send our thanks. We hope the saintly Lady Helen is ready for turning out curry early in the day until your bodyclock adjusts. And we hope Chris Evans can keep up the good food work!

Great shot of Terry in cake by katsommers on Flickr.