She was a brilliant cook, an erudite food historian and a champion of hunting and shooting once convicted of attending an illegal hare coursing event. She had no time for rudeness and little for those whose philosophies she could not understand, including Labour politicians and "manky" vegetarians.

But most of all, Clarissa Dickson Wright, who has died aged 66, was a great British eccentric who became a most unlikely television star as one half of the BBC's Two Fat Ladies partnership.

The worlds of food and television paid tribute to Dickson Wright on Monday following her death in hospital in Edinburgh, where she had been undergoing treatment since the start of the year.

Producer Patricia Llewellyn, who teamed her up with Jennifer Paterson for the Fat Ladies show – in which they toured the UK in a motorcycle-sidecar – first met Dickson Wright when the cook decided to launch a one-woman campaign to get the cardoon back on to British dining tables.

"The cardoon is a prickly vegetable – an edible thistle – and not immediately lovable, but wonderful when you get to know it – it couldn't have found a better champion", said Llewellyn.

"Clarissa was a marvellous cook and hugely knowledgeable about food and food history. She was possessed of a formidable intelligence, and held strong opinions, a powerful combination that made her a commanding presence on television."

Jennifer Paterson (left) and Clarissa Dickson Wright filming Two Fat Ladies in 1996. Photograph: Tim Walsh/PA

She also had a fiery temper. "We called her 'Krakatoa' because if you didn't notice the rumbling you could find yourself in trouble. She was a force of nature."

Dickson Wright's agents, Heather Holden-Brown and Elly James, said her fun, laughter and intelligence would be missed: "Clarissa was utterly non-PC and fought for what she believed in, always, with no thought to her own personal cost."

The Observer's restaurant critic Jay Rayner tweeted: "Goodbye Clarissa. A truly fabulous woman. Worked with her many times and it was always fun, at least for me. She had a towering intellect." Television chef Jamie Oliver added: "She was always entertaining to watch and was of course a passionate foodie."

Baptised Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda, Dickson Wright grew up in north London. Her father, Arthur, was a brilliant surgeon and food lover – pigeons were flown in from Cairo for the Dickson Wright table and caviar was frequently on the menu. But he was also a violent alcoholic who beat Dickson Wright and her mother.

She became a barrister but after herself descending into alcoholism quit law and began working as a cook in grand homes.

Dickson Wright was running a culinary bookshop when she was discovered by Llewellyn. She would joke that she had put on her weight without the help of junk food. "It was all good quality," she said. But the Two Fat Ladies programmes attracted some criticism for the high-fat ingredients the pair loved.

Following her screen partner's death in 1999 aged 71, Dickson Wright appeared in other television programmes including Clarissa and the Countryman with presenter, naturalist and baronet Sir John (Johnny) Scott.

She was a champion of countryside pursuits, claiming she was prepared to go to prisonto support people's right to hunt. In 2009 she was convicted of attending hare coursing.

In more recent years she joined the debate over the badger cull to suggest the mammals ought to be eaten. "It would solve the problem. There's going to be a cull, so rather than just throw them in the landfill site, why not eat them?" she said.

Dickson Wright said she had enjoyed a "fantastic life". "I've done everything I could have wanted to do and more." In 2011 she told the Guardian she did not worry about ageing. "I am oriented to country matters; you are born and eventually you die."