Your choice of 'celeb chef' is a clue to your personality

London, Mar 23 : The 'celebrity chef's' cookbook that you consult the most reveals much about your character, way of life and taste, according to a new research.

According to Andrea Tonner of the University of Strathclyde, a person's preference of 'celebrity' chef is a clue to their personality.

Fans of well-known celeb like Gordon Ramsay and Gary Rhodes are 'show-offs' since they like to dress smartly and impress colleagues.

Nigel Slater and Rick Stein, on the other hand, attract "achievers without fuss" who take a laid-back approach to life.

Delia Smith, who promotes frozen mash and tinned mince in her new book, How to Cheat at Cooking, appeals to 'family-orientated' home cooks.

However, the appeal of star chef Nigella Lawson, jumps between two camps, the achievers without fuss and the family-orientated.

Rose Elliot, Britain's leading vegetarian cook whose books have sold three million copies, attracts "worriers" more concerned with "ethical" issues.

In the study, Tonner asked middle-class cookbook users in their thirties which 'celebrity chef's' recipes they consulted most often, and investigated how this reflected their personalities and ways of life.

While Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall were praised as engaging personalities, no one admitted to being regular users of their recipes.

In the study, the volunteers were asked about their favourite chefs without being prompted with names.

Tonner said that she began the research because cookbooks had developed beyond mere instruction manuals to "take on increased symbolism for their owners".

"The influences which guide choices of cookbook and cookery writer are related to the individual's narrative of self, and by extension their narrative as cook," the Telegraph quoted Tonner, as saying.

The research will be unveiled at the British Sociological Association's annual conference that is being held in Warwick.

ANI