Pim presents several seasonal dishes that should be fairly elementary for most domestic gods and goddesses to contemplate, while also adapting recipes from famous chefs to add to one’s repertoire. Of course, no meal would be complete without a decent accompanying drink and her very down-to-earth wine guide avoids all of the pretentiousness of the ‘geeks’, while taking time to explain why a red wine works better than a white or rose with some types of food.

Personally, I find this sort of information hugely worthwhile and can see a time, when I shall read certain chapters of the book again, to revise before attending a dinner engagement. The fourth chapter deals with the sort of trivia that will bamboozle the less well-informed and its 50 useful tips, all of which are explored in consummate detail, will provide amateur chefs with the incentive to try many of the hints for themselves. What Pim is doing is attempting to help us to enjoy food again. She admits that food is a lost cause to a great many people and this book is her effective campaign to rush its relevance back into individual consciousness.

Rather than opt out and take the easy option, she sets out to prove that home-made fast-food can be both quick to prepare and cook and a sheer delight to consume and that it should not be regarded as a sin to recall the days when we used to enjoy ‘comfort foods’. She is not afraid of bucking trends and rocking the boats of the establishment either and, for anyone who declares themselves to be a ‘bit of a foodie’, she has much useful advice to proffer. Her environmental advice is simple and stunning.

I think that this book will be a fantastic read for anyone who likes the better things in life, among which are uncomplicated and healthy foods. Pim makes a lot of sense with her pithy remarks and I rate this book very highly.