Delia Smith, Britain’s bestselling cookery author, today castigated television chefs who strayed too far into the “politics of food” and gave warning against the current obsession with organic produce.

Ms Smith said that her priority was ensuring people had enough good food to eat, rather than lecturing consumers for failing to live up to the high standards of celebrity chefs.

Explaining why her new book, How to Cheat at Cooking, instructed readers to use ingredients such as tinned mince and frozen mashed potato, Ms Smith said she was acutely aware of the gap between junk food and the complicated, time-consuming cuisine promoted on television.

“It’s quite a difficult thing to do, to try and measure up to what chefs are saying, it’s quite a long way from just putting a meal on the table every night. And so I felt this gap needed to be filled. Then I realised that around the world there are people doing the preparation for us, most of the preparation has been done so we can just put the finishing touches and, most importantly, eat really well,” she said in a BBC radio interview.

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• Official: organic really is better

• Shades of green food

• Never mind organic, feel the food print

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She was on a “mission” to establish a new way of cooking “not for every day, but for busy days,” she said.

Asked her position on ethical produce, Ms Smith said she tried to stay out of the “politics of food,” which she acknowledged was currently very confusing.

She took a tacit swipe at Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, fellow chefs who have recently launched a campaign to persuade people not to eat battery-reared hens.

“I’ll stick to teaching people to cook,” she said.

“I certainly don’t like the way battery chickens are reared – I have put in my book to use free-range chicken – but on the other hand I am aware that we still have a lot of poverty, particularly among children in this country and I feel that is a disgrace, and somehow we’ve got to get everybody to have enough nutritious food in the first place.”

She was particularly dismissive of the current preoccupation with organic food, which she said she only ever bought if it happened to be the best quality option available.

“I don’t do organic because I’m a cook – I can’t get into the politics of food because I don’t have the knowledge and I don’t have the background – but if I go into a shop and I want to buy some beautiful fresh beetroot, I go for whatever looks best. If that happens to be organic, then I might buy it, but if it isn’t, then I’ll buy that.”

Buying organic produce exclusively could even have a harmful effect on world development, she cautioned.

“If the whole world goes organic then the state of the third world will really be twice as bad as it is at the moment and I’m much more interested in people getting enough to eat.”

The cookery queen let out a giggle when asked if she paid attention to food miles – the distance food travels from production to the consumer and its resulting environmental impact.

“I haven’t got a clue,” she admitted, saying she felt torn between concern for the environment and a desire to support third world economies.

“I plead ignorance here, I’m in a minefield, I don’t know which way to go,” Ms Smith said.

“I do love fresh shelled peas that you can buy in the winter from Kenya. I’m sorry about the planet and the problems with emissions but I’m also conscious that there are people in Kenya who are getting employment and enough money to bring up their children from that produce.”

“It’s really confusing at the moment and I’m in the middle of the confusion,” she concluded.

Cooking up a storm

Rick Stein

Criticised Labour for its handling of the foot-and mouth-crisis and waded into other rows over the effect of government policies on rural communities and the environment. Has urged ministers to do more to promote small British producers.

Gordon Ramsay

Generally stays out of politics, but promotes organic, free-range produce in his programmes. Recently said he was "fed up" with the low standards of National Vocational Qualifications and called for better education in catering.

Jamie Oliver

Quest to improve school dinners won £280 million in backing from the Labour government and became a campaign issue in the 2005 general election. Praised by senior politicians including Tony Blair and has been urged to consider a political career.Has recently launched a campaign to persuade people not to eat battery-reared chickens.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Latest television series, Hugh's Chicken Run, has triggered national debate over consumption of battery-reared chickens.

Anthony Worrall-Thompson

Was told to "stick to cooking" by Ed Balls, then Treasury Secretary in 2006, after he called for scrapping of minimum wage. Wants a tax "unnecessary food - things like ready-meals and crisps". Votes Conservative because “the other side makes me vomit.”

Raymond Blanc

Has urged Government to promote organic, British-produced food; says processed food causes bad behaviour in children. Has also called for tax to be levied on airline fuel used to transport food to the UK from abroad, to encourage sustainable farming.

Nigella Lawson

Despite being the daughter of former Tory Chancellor Nigel Lawson, has said she has little political interest. “I have seen enough of politics to know that I have absolutely no desire to get mixed up in that kind of life,” she said in 2002.

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