I realise that this is an electronic age and recipes can be downloaded with ease from the Internet, but what is more tempting for the food lover than a glossy picture recipe book?

In the book store I am drawn to them like a magnet, I find myself sitting for hours browsing through book after book. I cannot resist the glossy photos of mouth-watering platters, I find myself salivating and being drawn into another world - that of culinary delights.

As a result of my mad obsession, I have in my proud possession at least one hundred recipe books; volumes are crammed onto my kitchen shelves, which I carefully display in descending order of size. Whilst perusing in the book store, I reason with myself that a new purchase is not necessary, as most of the recipes are similar from book to book. As always at least half of the book is irrelevant to me as I do not have a sweet tooth. Why do recipe book authors dedicate so much of their content to sugary delights? Surely saccharine syrupy goo should have books devoted solely to them. Despite this, I have an eclectic mix of titles ranging from carnivorous dishes through to vegetarian delights. I only wish my culinary attempts matched those glossy pictures.

However, undeterred I assiduously study the photos of delicious looking meals and make endless lists of ingredients which I never seem to have in my store cupboard. Clutching my list, I wander aimlessly up and down the supermarket aisles, looking for the ingredients I require. Regardless of the expense, I source only organic products assuring myself that the expense will be worth it, but usually find that the one ingredient that is crucial to the final dish is nowhere to be found.

I do not allow myself to get disheartened as my shopping basket is now groaning with the other ingredients of the meal which I am determined to prepare. I then seek a member of staff who offers to assist me in my search and we spend what seems like hours searching up and down aisles for the illusive ingredient. In my quest, I have found myself visiting several supermarkets.

The Attempt - Already Exhausted It’s Time To Cook

Exhausted, I arrive home, once the car is empty I take a sit down for a restorative glass of wine before commencing the prep work. This is where I realise that I require the following:

1. A sous chef to take care of the production of the recipe - careful orchestration is required otherwise chaos ensues
2. A sauce chef/saucier to help prepare the sauces and sauté the food
3. A fish cook/poissoner to prepare any fish dishes I might decide to cook
4. A vegetable cook/entremetier to prepare the endless vegetables etc that need chopping
5. A roast cook/rotisseur to braise the meats and produce the gravies.

However, all I have is a chopping board and a very sharp knife, so the process takes up most of the remaining day.

It all looks so easy when you watch the cookery programs with all the chopped vegetables, spices etc in little bowls and the TV chef mixes and sautés with a gay abandon. The reality is a stressed woman clutching a cookery book and a pristine kitchen reduced to a disaster zone. With determination, I struggle onwards till all instructions in the recipe have been followed to the letter and at least a half bottle of wine has been consumed in the process.

The Final Product

As we all the family sit down at the dining table in the evening awaiting a gastronomic delight, which I am sure that I have spent on time, petrol and ingredients will be well worth it.

When I compare my ‘plated’ meal it looks quite unlike the photo which tempted me to attempt the recipe in the first place but I am sure it will taste wonderful, after all I did follow the instructions to the letter. The family unwilling to offend me, munch through it all and when I ask for an opinion, they voice in unison ‘It was lovely but please do not make it again!’

Exhausted, I spend the rest of the evening returning my kitchen to its immaculate self, putting my recipe book back on the shelf, placing away the exotic spices that I am never going to use again and vowing never to be seduced by a glossy recipe book again – well until the next time!

Stephanie Wilkinson loves cooking and her family are lucky to enjoy a varied, fun diet despite the occasional over ambitious recipe book fuelled attempt at a gastronomic masterpiece. In her spare time she loves to travel having recently visited Texas and even had her iPod screen repaired in Alabama on her previous trip.