Setting up home for the first time and feel lost in the kitchen? The First-time Cook is a one-stop guide which shows you not only how to cook delicious food but also how to understand ingredients and cooking techniques so you can feel completely confident on your own.

The book assumes no prior knowledge and takes you through the basics of shopping and cooking equipment. Sophie Grigson then covers each essential cooking technique and food in turn, moving step-by-step through the basics with lots of incredibly useful advice on the possible pitfalls and showing variations and alternatives once you have mastered the essentials. From the perfect roast chicken to twenty variations on the quick-and-easy omelette and pasta of all descriptions, the recipes have been chosen not only to show core techniques but also to provide a fantastic collection of dishes that cover everything from quick (and cheap) supper ideas for one, to coping with doing Sunday lunch for six for the first time.

Detailed, dynamic step-by-step photographs show how recipes should look at each stage and finished shots are of real food, not overly styled dishes that only a professional could ever achieve.

Interest in cookery has never been greater but the number of people actually able to cook continues to decline. Sophie Grigson's TV experience has given her a natural ability to teach cookery in an informal and friendly way and, with this book, she fills the gap left by conventional cookbooks which assume a knowledge most people don't possess. It will prove to be a bible for everyone interested in cooking fantastic food.

Available on-line in the UK from Amazon.co.uk