The UK now spends £5 million a day on microwave meals. And if it wasn't for the fact that the beautifully photographed serving suggestion never quite lives up to the congealed, over-processed reality; we'd be forgiven for thinking we could never make something equally 'gourmet', 'finest' and 'best ever' using our bare hands.
After all, in the time it takes to zap a plastic ready meal in the microwave or boil a bag of frozen cod and sauce, you could be making something as simple and delicious as a fresh trout fried in butter, lemon juice and a bit of salt and pepper. That's our idea of fast food for foodies.
Cooking is one of those activities that falls into the 'use it, or lose it' camp of terminologies.
Despite the spate of celebrity chef programmes on the box and gastronomic food-porn - sorry, recipe books; only 3 out of 10 of us can actually soft boil an egg and a mere 20% of under-35s know their chump from their loin!
A bit of methodical chopping, stirring and kneading can even be therapeutic after a busy day in the office. The end result is certainly fresher, tastier, more nourishing, and probably cheaper than any six-minute-wonder equivalent or take-away.
All it takes to eat well is a bit of weekly planning and a kitchen cupboard stocked with essentials.
Check that you've got items such as: Thai fish sauce, olive oil, red or white wine vinegar, Soy sauce, Maldon sea salt, black peppercorns, cornflour, honey and Dijon mustard. Tinned staples include: chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, anchovies, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and olive pastes for pasta dishes.
Fridge must-haves are: LURPAK butter, plus Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano) cheese which lasts forever. And you'll often find there's more than one meal to be made from just one fresh ingredient. Cook a roast chicken on Saturday, and the carcass can be a versatile freezable stock for soups by Sunday...
