Jamie’s Ministry of Food: Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours by Jamie Oliver

For those who haven’t seen the show, it trails his campaign to spread the word about home cooking through ‘Pass It On’, the basic idea being that learning to cook is simple and that we could all learn if someone we knew taught us how.

And so with the accompanying book, the premise (it’s on the cover, even!) is ‘Anyone can learn to cook in 24 hours’, and Jamie aims to prove it’s true. Divided into chapters running the full range of popular British cooking, from Quick Pasta, Tasty Stir-Fries and Easy Curries to Simple Soups, Family Roasts and Classic Fish, there are over 100 recipes and many of them are photographed every step of the way. There’s some useful background in the ‘equipment’ section, plus some great store-cupboard lists and explanations of herbs and ingredients in brilliant layman’s terms.

Currently outselling Nigella’s Christmas four-to-one, it looks set to be the Christmas gift of choice this year, and understandably so – whilst it won’t challenge the experts, it’s an excellent all-rounder for beginners and everyone knows someone who would benefit from this book.

Carig Butcher

Penguin, £25

Click here to buy this book on Amazon