Chef - describes a visit to Leicester "as one of the most frightening experiences of my life".

[davieG]

Merc

By Laura Elvin

A celebrity chef has come under fire after making "hurtful" comments about the city's Muslim community.

In her new book, Clarissa Dickson Wright describes a visit to Leicester "as one of the most frightening experiences of my life".

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  Clarissa Dickson Wright describes a visit to Leicester "as one of the most frightening experiences of my life"
  

The 65-year-old dedicates a chapter of Clarissa's England: A Gamely Gallop Through the English Counties to each county in England, discussing their culinary, cultural and historical merits. On Leicestershire, she writes of the city's "ghetto".

She describes coming off the ring road to escape a traffic jam and becoming lost.

"I found myself in an area where all the men were wearing Islamic clothing and all the women were wearing burkas and walking slightly behind them," she wrote.

She said the men would not talk to her "because I was an English female and they don't talk to females they don't know".

She said: "Here I was, in the heart of a city in the middle of my own country, a complete outcast and pariah.

"If multiculturalism works, which I have always been rather dubious of, surely it must be multicultural and not monocultural.

"I can only hope that in generations to come there will be a merging of the cultures and not the exclusion zone that is the ghetto."

Ibrahim Mogra, assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, and a city imam, said: "How is she judging an entire community on her one-off rare time of getting lost in Leicester?

"I find it very hurtful to read because everybody is working so hard to create a peaceful and happy Leicester.

"It showed a complete lack of appreciation of the fact we are almost two million in this country, doing our bit for our country.

"When she says that she was in the centre of a city in the centre of her own country, I take objection. This is also my country and this is also my city.

"I would like to call on Leicester people to be even more welcoming and hospitable than we've been so far."

Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "That is the sort of thing that makes me very angry – when someone breezes in from outside and paints a picture of Leicester that does not have any foundation in reality.

"It may help sell books but it is cheap."

Councillor Manjula Sood, chairman of Leicester Council of Faiths, urged readers to ignore her comments.

"I don't believe a meeting with one person on one street should mean you can label a whole city," she said.

Both Coun Sood and Mr Mogra invited Ms Dickson Wright back to the city for an opportunity to change her opinions.

When contacted by the Mercury, the chef, who lives in Edinburgh, said: "I'm surprised any of the people who might object could read what I wrote as it is written in English.

"When you get to 65, you will think back on this conversation and I think you might find yourself in my frame of mind."

She said she had a lot of Muslim friends but her experience of Leicester was "unpleasant".

"It scared me and I am not scared easy," she said.

Asked why, she said: "Because it was part of my country that I was born in and there are a lot of radical Muslim preachers in this country.

"I was in London when the July 7 (2005 bomb attacks) happened and this to me was proof for those people who have been saying we're getting ghettoisation of Muslim areas.

"I have never believed that political correctness was a reason not to say what I have experienced."

She said she had "done a lot" for Leicestershire, campaigning for the protected geographical status of Melton pork pies and Stilton.

In her book, Ms Dickson Wright praised Melton's food festival, saying "it was just everything that a good food festival should be".

She also wrote about "charming" Market Harborough, and "pleasant" Oakham.

She is signing copies of her book at Northfield Farm Christmas Fair, in Cold Overton, on Saturday.

ON THE COUNTY

In her book, Ms Dickson Wright wrote:

Melton: I first came across it at the original Melton Mowbray Food Festival, which, in the first two years, was held in the cattle market in Melton Mowbray and was to my mind without doubt the best food festival in the country.

(It had) produce from the Asian communities, in particular in Leicester, and the West Indian community, and it was just everything that a good food festival should be.

Market Harborough: A charming old town.

Rutland: Rutland is a triumph and a lesson to us all.

Oakham: A pleasant town with all the right sort of shops and bookshops and I am always happy to visit it.

ON LEICESTER

I had one of the most frightening experiences of my life there.

Leicester has a very high Asian Muslim population and I found myself in an area where all the men were wearing Islamic clothing and all the women were wearing burkas and walking slightly behind them.

None of the men would talk to me when I tried to find out where I was and how to get out of there because I was an English female and they don’t talk to females they don’t know, while if the women could speak English they weren’t about to show it by having a word with me.

(She bought a map at a newsagents.) Somebody, very reluctantly, pointed to where I was and then I had to work out the rest myself.

I have many good acquaintances and even some friends among the Muslim community, yet here I was, in the heart of a city in the middle of my own country, a complete outcast and pariah.

If multiculturalism works, which I have always been rather dubious of, surely it must be multicultural and not monocultural.

However, everything has an upside and one of the results of this is that Leicester has a very good selection of Asian restaurants.

I can only hope that in generations to come there will be a merging of the cultures and not the exclusion zone that is the ghetto.

[MooseBreath]

She sounds like your bog standard white apologist. Probably bangs the anti-racism drum louder than most from the security of her white only estate in her predominantly white city. Then she gets thrust into the thick of it and suddenly things aren't so rosy. That's when you see their true colours, shining through. A life time of cosy sheltered ignorance manifests itself in a froth of confusion beginning to simmer, and then boiling over, resulting in what to many is daily life becoming her most frightening experience ever. Then, like a limp fish discarded by disease, she flips and flaps her way to the top of the moral high ground and then vomits her guts out for all to see. Belching and farting, her foul odour spreads into the air, and then she collapses, exhausted, and gently rolls back down the hill into the gutter where she belongs.

[skinnydipper]

The village idiot !

[flowwolf]

Still I wouldn't mind having sex with her.

[Alf Bentley]

She sounds like your bog standard white apologist. Probably bangs the anti-racism drum louder than most from the security of her white only estate in her predominantly white city. Then she gets thrust into the thick of it and suddenly things aren't so rosy. That's when you see their true colours, shining through. A life time of cosy sheltered ignorance manifests itself in a froth of confusion beginning to simmer, and then boiling over, resulting in what to many is daily life becoming her most frightening experience ever. Then, like a limp fish discarded by disease, she flips and flaps her way to the top of the moral high ground and then vomits her guts out for all to see. Belching and farting, her foul odour spreads into the air, and then she collapses, exhausted, and gently rolls back down the hill into the gutter where she belongs.

Bloody hell, mate, that's a bit bleak! It sounds like you need cheering up.

Have a nice cup of tea - or have you considered taking a refreshing walk across Victoria Park to take the spring air and appreciate the colours of the crocuses? Alternatively, perhaps you could envisage joining a course in Gothic creative writing and rhetoric? Your potential is there for all to see (seriously). On a more "base chakra" level, you could ponder the prospect of an intensive sexual experience (with another or yourself) and/or a Friday night skinful of ale.

You seem to have too much energy in your body and it risks poisoning you if you do not expend it.

[Unabomber]

Saw the picture - decided whatever she had to say wasn't worth reading.

[davieG]

The most frightening was looking in the mirror each morning.

[flowwolf]

Oh yes lets laugh at ugly people now shall we . How shallow.

[flowwolf]

She sounds like your bog standard white apologist. Probably bangs the anti-racism drum louder than most from the security of her white only estate in her predominantly white city. Then she gets thrust into the thick of it and suddenly things aren't so rosy. That's when you see their true colours, shining through. A life time of cosy sheltered ignorance manifests itself in a froth of confusion beginning to simmer, and then boiling over, resulting in what to many is daily life becoming her most frightening experience ever. Then, like a limp fish discarded by disease, she flips and flaps her way to the top of the moral high ground and then vomits her guts out for all to see. Belching and farting, her foul odour spreads into the air, and then she collapses, exhausted, and gently rolls back down the hill into the gutter where she belongs.

Yes but still worth a poke surely ?

[lavrentis]

There is no escaping some areas of Leicester are right shit holes with yes high asian populations but what the **** is she doing there anyway? The city centre and highcross etc is quite nice

[Mack]

I dont agree that she should feel frightened but I do think somewhere amongst all her bollocks is a valid point about integration of ethnic communities.

We all tend to cluster when we are living overseas, the Brits do it in Spain also and it's a shame.

[FantasticMrFuchs]

I dont agree that she should feel frightened but I do think somewhere amongst all her bollocks is a valid point about integration of ethnic communities.

We all tend to cluster when we are living overseas, the Brits do it in Spain also and it's a shame.

Same kind of point I was going to make, Whilst Leicester is "Multicultural" there is little a problem with integration of all communities in the city. I would say 30-40% of each community mixes but the majority do not.

[THEFATBASTARD]

No comment on my beloved Hinckley? pity, she would of been coshed over the head and would of woke up with her underpants on back to front..we know how to treat a tourist over here.

[scottthefox]

Yes but still worth a poke surely ?

Wouldn't think twice mate

[flowwolf]

No comment on my beloved Hinckley? pity, she would of been coshed over the head and would of woke up with her underpants on back to front..we know how to treat a tourist over here.

Oh yeah like you get tourists in Hinckley. :D

[AyewJoking]

Oh yeah like you get tourists in Hinckley. :D

occasionally someone gets off the M69 at the wrong exit.

[THEFATBASTARD]

occasionally someone gets off the M69 at the wrong exit.

yip..and they are never seen again.. after the bonfire ..

[purpleronnie]

I guess most people with a name like Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Dickson-Wright will find anywhere oustide of their silver spooned privileged life scarey.

[Carl the Llama]

What's she moaning about meeting a few Muslims? I once spotted a black man when I was being carried around Brixton in my sedan chair.

Fortunately it was just one of my servants who'd removed his mandatory burlap head covering because he "couldn't breathe". My cat o' nine tails got a good airing that night and I could sleep soundly again knowing all the immigrants in my general vicinity were safely under key in my dungeon.

[21st Century Fox]

If she loves the country she was born in so much why does she live in Scotland? huh? huh?

[MooseBreath]

If she loves the country she was born in so much why does she live in Scotland? huh? huh?

My guess is it's because she likes to masturbate in a bath of haggis.

[21st Century Fox]

My guess is it's because she likes to masturbate in a bath of haggis.

That would be on the presupposition that she can still locate her vagina.

[Maybes]

She was frightened because she was lost and nobody would talk to her?

Deary me, she has some growing up to do and that's not even taking into her account her other comments.

[Bellend Sebastian]

It presumably didn't occur to her that no-one wanted to speak to her not because she's a white Englishwoman but because she's Clarissa Dickson-Wright

[Guest]

Never heard of her.