Spilling the Beans: The Autobiography of One of Television's Two Fat Ladies

Clarissa Dickson Wright, famously half of television's Two Fat Ladies, was born into wealth and privilege. Her mother was an Australian heiress, her father was a brilliant surgeon to the royal family; as a child, shooting and hunting were the norm and pigeons were flown in from Cairo for supper. But Clarissa's father was also a tyrannical and violent drunk who used to beat her and force her to eat carrots with slugs still clinging to them. Clarissa was determined and clever, though, and her ambition led her to a career in the law. At the age of 21, she was the youngest woman ever to be called to the bar. Disaster struck when her adored mother died suddenly. It was to lead to a mind- numbing decade of wild overindulgence during which she partied away her entire enormous inheritance. It was a long, hard road to recovery along which Clarissa finally faced her demons and turned to the one thing that had always brought her joy-cooking. Now at last she has found success, sobriety-and peace. With the stark honesty and the brilliant wit millions love her for, Clarissa recounts the tale of a life lived to extremes. A vivid and funny story, Spilling the Beans is as moving as it is a wonderful read. …