The Original Fat Pack: Two Fat Ladies Now Out on DVD

In March, Kim Severson of the New York Times Dining section coined the brilliant term "Fat Pack" for the early-21st-century breed of food writer who believes indulgence is a right—and a rite—of the craft. If Jason Perlow and Josh Ozersky are founding members, their grandmothers are without question Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright, hosts of one of the greatest food-TV shows ever, the BBC series Two Fat Ladies. It's amazing to think the ladies only filmed three-and-a-half seasons of their show; for 24 episodes, they toodled about the English countryside in a Triumph motorcycle, Wright riding sidecar, landing at one grand estate after another to whip up Bubble and Squeak and Buttered Spatchcock Chicken, engage in hilarious conversation and occasionally break out in song. Since the show ended 10 years ago, old episodes have only been available on VHS, but next Tuesday, July 29, the shows will be released on DVD, with bonus bios of the pair, in a four-disk box set for $59.99 from Acorn Media.
 
While Dickson Wright lives on, her co-host Paterson died in 1999 at age 71, midway through their fourth series. She was even buried alongside her motorcycle helmet. But we don't have to blame her food habits for her early passing. She smoked, and she had lung cancer.