Wendy Hargreaves
home economist
Organised; plan before you shop
Cooking for One
His children visit at weekends and he wants to cook for them. Gerald learns to cook, shop and eat well on a budget, and the kitchen becomes the place where he rebuilds his relationship with his teenage daughter.
Planned · not started yet
Practical life skills Second chances Money under pressure Family home Lightly witty Warm
The premise
His children visit at weekends and he wants to cook for them. Gerald learns to cook, shop and eat well on a budget, and the kitchen becomes the place where he rebuilds his relationship with his teenage daughter.
The protagonist
Gerald Mbeki-Fraser — Recently divorced man who has never planned a meal
The council
Every council member is an original fictional character. None represents, quotes or is endorsed by a real person.
Luca Bianchi-Owen
professional cook
Playful; master five dishes, then vary them
Dr Sana Iqbal
public-health nutritionist
Evidence-led; balance beats diets
How the story moves
One year in the kitchen, ending with a dinner for his whole family that he could not have made a year earlier.
What readers take away
- Kitchen basics and equipment
- Knife skills
- Five core cooking techniques
- Meal planning
- Budget shopping
- Nutrition basics
- Food safety and storage
- Cooking for guests
- Batch-cook and freeze safely
- Read nutrition labels
- Cook vegetables well
- Adapt recipes for children
The books
- 1Toast Planned
- 2Five dishes Planned
- 3Weekends Planned
- 4The dinner party Planned
Book titles are working titles and may change before publication. No book is on sale until the complete series is finished, checked and released.