Football-crazy Delia gets out of the kitchen

The mother of all celebrity chefs, Delia Smith, is giving up television to concentrate on reviving the fortunes of Norwich City Football Club.

Ms Smith, who first appeared on television in Family Fare 30 years ago, says she will never do another series. She will continue giving advice on how to boil an egg or slice an onion in books and on her website, but believes she is getting out of TV just as the celebrity chef bubble is about to burst.

Ms Smith – whose popularity has made her the only celebrity chef whose first name has appeared in a dictionary as a noun – intends to tackle Norwich City's financial difficulties.

The division one club lost £4m when ITV Digital's sponsorship of league football collapsed. Ms Smith, a club director, intends to bring in some cash through Delia's, a restaurant at the Norwich City ground.

"Her priority is to bring people through the door to show that the football club does not have to be a male bastion but that it should be the centre of the community," her literary agent, Deborah Owen, said.