Bestselling cookery writer Nigel Slater’s mantra is ‘recipes don’t rule’. ‘Appetite’ is the revolutionary book that will help all cooks to have fun making anything from a baked potato to Christmas dinner.

Inspiring and irresistible, ‘Appetite’ takes a hundred simple classics and casts aside the insecurities of normal recipes. Ingredients are listed, followed by a suggestion of how much you might need, i.e. ‘double cream – start with 100 ml then see how you go’. Readers will be liberated to use their own judgement, indeed actively encouraged to skip half the ingredients for pared-down versions that will teach them the essence of a dish. Recipe titles reflect this approach – ‘a cheap spaghetti supper’, ‘a big pork roast’, ‘a curry to make you sweat’.

Slater’s typically unpretentious style and ready wit put the fun back into food in this beautifully illustrated book. The first half is packed with instructive, funky photographs and covers all the basics – from ‘getting rid of the three-course-meal tyranny’ to ‘why junk food is so delicious’. A long and helpful section will tell you where to get hold of everything worth eating. Written partly for the non-cook, this will be varied enough to attract more experienced cooks and people who bought ‘Real Food’ and want another helping.