The half hour cook : quick and easy meals for the busy cook

This is the ultimate guide to healthy, home-cooked food that can be rustled up in a matter of minutes, with 400 original recipes and even whole menus that can be prepared and cooked in less than half an hour.

Carefully compiled for even the most hectic schedule, this cookbook is the proof that convenience cooking need not mean compromising on taste.

Meats can be glazed and griddled, succulent seafood skewered, sauces whipped up, sushi rolled, salads tossed and spices blended in the time it takes to heat up a supermarket ready-made dish in the oven.

Beginning with excellent instant ideas for breakfast and brunch - from real porridge with plums to Irish-style potato pancakes - this book is also packed with ideas for speedy mid-morning snacks and working lunches, whether the craving is for a banana smoothie, spicy plantain chips, griddled tomatoes on soda bread, deli-style chicken salad or a range of easy-to-prepare soups.

A classic range of fish, chicken, pork, beef and lamb dishes prove that speed and taste can be perfect partners, while the collection of vegetarian mains simply burst with flavour and texture. Feeding hungry family members is a nightly conundrum facing every busy parent, and a special section on family dishes includes many favourites - chilli-fried chicken, pan-fried gammon and classic twists to spaghetti - plus a few surprises to whet the palate.

Entertaining at home is great fun for the guests, and this inspired collection of quick dishes to impress proves that the host can join in too - whether serving up a splendid dish of salmon, whisky and cream at a candlelit winter gathering or grilling Greek-style swordfish al fresco in the garden.

To finish, gorgeous, home-spun desserts such as hot chocolate rum souffles or coffee mascarpone creams will leave frozen supermarket desserts sitting on the shelf.

With more than 1500 beautiful colour photographs, step-by-step instructions, and at-a-glance preparation and cooking times, this book will keep stress, mess and fuss to a minimum, and allow you to spend more time eating and enjoying.

Nutritional information detailing fats, carbohydrates and calorific content will enable the reader to incorporate these quick-fix meals into a balanced and nutritional diet.