'Recent research suggests that the so-called bloke, an Alpha-male in many ways, harbours a weakness that to many constitutes a source of secret shame and embarrassment. He may be an ace seducer, he may have an income that leaves a book reviewer's standing, he may dress so sharply that you could slice rhubarb with him, his mobile may be the tiniest in the railway carriage--but often the bloke cannot cook. He can't even hack Jamie Oliver. It's a tragedy, often suffered in silence because men are just not brought up to admit to these things except as a joke. But it is a very real problem. Duncan Anderson and Marian Walls are the key therapists in this sensitive area. Their handbook, Flash Cooking for Blokes is the third in their series of Cooking for Blokes self-help manuals. (The seriously troubled should start with the induction manual Cooking for Blokes, and perhaps graduate through Foreign Cooking for Blokes before launching into this high-level self-improvement course.) How do the authors go about this? Reassurance is the keynote: You need never have cooked anything before to use this book. Yet Flash is what they are proposing and Flash is what they deliver. The control dish is Profiteroles: if you can deal with that, the world is your oyster. The first chapter cunningly deals with desserts, to lure in the voluptuaries, then scores of wide-ranging, sophisticated, reliable and appetising recipes lead the initiate towards truly grounded self- confidence and the final chapter of reward and self- discovery, Dynamite Drinks. Come out of the closet, blokes. This book can really make a difference. Now, can cooking help you pull?' - Robin Davidson, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW 'Designed to help the uninitiated male of the species weave his way through the culinary minefield of the kitchen' HOMES AND IDEAS
