Clarissa Dickson Wright

Clarissa Dickson Wright lived at least three lives packed into one. The daughter of a brilliant but abusive surgeon, she became the youngest woman ever called to the Bar in England at age 21. A devastating inheritance led to a decade of severe alcoholism, which she conquered before finding her third act in food. She ran a London cookshop, authored respected culinary histories, and became one of only two female Guild Butchers. Then, at nearly 50, she was paired with Jennifer Paterson for a cooking show. 'Two Fat Ladies' was a sensation—a defiant celebration of butter, bacon, and boisterous opinion, filmed on a rickety motorcycle and sidecar. After Paterson's death, Dickson Wright continued as a formidable television presence and food campaigner, championing rural life and traditional British fare with wit and formidable intelligence, her past struggles only adding depth to her persona as a survivor and an original.