There are people who claim to be instinctive cooks, who never follow recipes or weigh anything at all. All I can say is they're not very fussy about what they eat. For me, cooking is an exact art and not some casual game.

I sometimes think the chef end of cooking is not the real end of cooking. Cooking is all about homes and gardens, it doesn't happen in restaurants.

There are three reasons why this book came into being. First, throughout the 33 years I've been writing recipes - although I'm not vegetarian myself - I have greatly enjoyed creating vegetarian recipes, and cooking and serving them at home.

Remember, it's very simple to have an oven tested professionally, and it only takes about five minutes.

A measuring jug is also vital when cooking rice, as this is always measured by volume rather than by weight.

Food is for eating, and good food is to be enjoyed... I think food is, actually, very beautiful in itself.