Delia Smith paid tribute to manager and former Canaries winger Neil Adams after watching his Under-18 side lift the FA Youth Cup at Chelsea.

'He was always one of my favourite players,' she said. 'He was the best penalty taker, the best pundit when he retired and now he's the best manager – he is wonderful.'

Delia hailed the performance of the young Canaries, who followed in the footsteps of the 1983 side that beat Everton to win the same trophy.

'All I can say is, 'wow'. They have thoroughly deserved it and they played so well over two legs,' she said.

'They were just outstanding. They were calm, cool and very, very talented. What a lovely team, and I think their manager is a top dog'

Almost 3,000 Norwich fans were at Stamford Bridge for the perfect end-of-season finale after City ensured Premier League survival on Sunday.

'I think they were on a high before they got there after staying up yesterday and this was the icing on the cake,' she said.