This cookery book is explicitly designed to be a first cookbook for a young person leaving home who may never have cooked for themselves, or managed the contents of a larder or fridge, before. It does a very good job of meeting that need, with guidance on what utensils to have in a basic kitchen, the storage of various types of food, washing-up strategies and basic information about cooking methods and measures as well as a selection of recipes.

I wasn't a total novice when I got this book as I left home, but it served its purpose very well nonetheless. I find many of the shortcuts it recommends unpalatable now, but they were invaluable when cooking with limited ingredients and two gas rings.

Lots of other cookbooks start with the basics, but few do what this does and recognise the different reasons that young flat-dwellers cook - to feed themselves out of necessity, to entertain their friends or to impress others. This book doesn't just tell you what and how to cook, it reminds you to remove your drying laundry from the flat before your potential date arrives.

It's dated and quaint in many ways, but it did its job well. A minor classic. ( )