Sales of prunes, condensed milk and skewers rocketed after kitchen guru Delia Smith used them on her new TV series, it emerged today.
Within hours of the BBC2 show's screening on Tuesday, copy-cat cooks had rushed to supermarkets to get the old fashioned ingredients vital for the perfect sticky prune and date cake.
Asda said sales of prunes rose by 30%, while sweetened condensed milk increased by 27%.
The number of skewers sold also soared by 35%, after Delia told viewers they were vital to test if the cake was done.
A spokeswoman for the supermarket said the phenomenon had been dubbed the "Delia effect".
She added: "Our 24 hour stores reported an increase in sales of the items almost as soon as the programme finished, and it continued throughout the following day.
"We're going to be watching the rest of the series carefully to see if it is repeated."
French stores may also soon feel the force of the Delia effect when she launches a series of back-to-basics cook books in the country later this year.
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