'Student Cookbook: Healthy Eating - The Essential Guide'

Choosing a student cookbook nowadays seems more difficult than cooking itself.

Type the ubiquitous phrase into Amazon and you'll be presented with no less than 88 results, all snazzily designed, all touting themselves as essential and most very reasonably priced.

By the time you've cross-compared you could have whipped up a two course meal. And done the washing-up too.

Luckily, you happen to be reading this review of Student Cookbook: Healthy Eating - The Essential Guide by Ester Davies, a food and nutrition consultant.

'But what's so good about this one then?'

In a word, price. Buy it directly from the publisher and you'll get it for a bargainous £5, which, for a glossy covered book not printed on thrice recycled loo roll, is a very good deal.

'I'm a complete novice in the kitchen, so how can I be sure it'll be helpful enough?'

Like most student cookbooks it's designed with the car-crash cook in mind. Before there's even a sniff of a recipe, there's really useful guides.

There are equipment and store cupboard essentials lists, as well as an excellent section on food hygiene - something even more experienced student chefs should read.

The highlight of the book has to be 'Chapter Two - The Really Useful Cooking Basics'. It's comprehensive enough to contain everything students will need to know when they get in the kitchen, from reading conversion charts to cooking the perfect eggs.

Though a chickpea recipe does feature here and there, the book isn't about imposing stringent vegan diets on the student populous. What it is about is showing students that healthy eating can be quick, easy and above all, tasty.

Alexandra Sheppard

'Sounds good so far, but it's a healthy cookbook - I want something more exciting than rice and beans for dinner.'

Though a chickpea recipe does feature here and there, the book isn't about imposing stringent vegan diets on the student populous. What it is about is showing us students that healthy eating can be quick, easy and above all, tasty.

The 'Cooking tea the low-fat way' section proves that point perfectly. Here you'll find healthier versions of favourites like Bangers & Mash, Cottage Pie and Toad in the Hole.

'Will the recipes help me to make something more imaginative than toast when I'm a bit skint?'

The raison d'etre of every student cookbook should be to provide budget-friendly recipes. As most of the recipes in this cookbook are vegetable based, they are quite cheap to cook.

Other than a few seafood and steak recipes, you can safely use the recipes featured on a budget.

'OK, so the book will help me out with day to day cooking. But what if I've got friends round? Or a date?'

Rest assured that there is an 'Entertaining' section. Though ideal for total beginners, cooks who want to show off their culinary skills may find themselves heading for a Delia or Jamie cookbook instead.

Student Cookbook: Healthy Eating - The Essential Guide is ideal for students who can't look at an oven without burning something.

It's useful guides and budget recipes put it above most other student cookbooks around.

However, if you know your way around a kitchen then most of the guides will be old news and you may find the recipes somewhat basic.

If that's the case, it'll be back to Amazon...