Almost eight in 10 people do not have the basic cooking skills to roast a chicken or even boil an egg, according to a survey.
Despite the efforts of celebrity chefs like Delia Smith and Nigella Lawson, many cannot make themselves the simplest of meals, the poll of 1,500 adults for grocers Somerfield found.
It showed 79% of adults cannot boil an egg, while 83% do not know how long it takes to roast a chicken and 9% think it takes less than 30 minutes to roast potatoes.
More than a third (37%) think British staple shepherd's pie is made with beef mince rather than lamb mince.
Half of men blamed their poor skills on their education and lack of cookery classes at school.
However 41% of 16 to 24-year-olds regularly cooked with their parents when they were younger, compared with 28% of over 65s.
Somerfield spokesman Pete Williams said: "A lot of us are still baffled Brits when it comes to cooking even the most simple of dishes.
"Long may the trend for today's parents to pass on their culinary skills to their offspring continue.
"It would be criminal to rob future generations of classic dishes such as shepherd's pie because we've failed to pass on the necessary skills."
>> Chef ready for TV show final>> Vote in our latest web poll
The full article contains 232 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
