Not many people know that I am the mother of royalty. Yes, indeed, my older daughter is a princess, a South African princess, which means she cannot make her bed, the arcane lore of ironing is a mystery to her, and she can't tell the difference between a washing machine, a dishwasher, and a stove. Fortunately, she has mastered the kettle and the microwave.

There are many 20-year-olds like her. Her lack of culinary prowess loomed large in my stress levels until I discovered Help! There's a Stove in my Kitchen, a South African book designed for little darlings like my daughter and her hordes of fellow princesses and princes.

The impressive array of basic household and kitchen hints [conserving electricity, removing stains, using lemons and salt for cleaning and deodorising], simple conversions and an invaluable list of pantry essentials - these alone make the book worth owning.

The recipes vary from the very simplest [how to microwave an egg] to somewhat more complex dishes like lasagna or pavlova.

This is a marvellous book and I recommend it highly: I intend to buy two copies - one for my daughter, who is moving into a flat of her own , and another for my husband. It's about time he learned his way around a kitchen.

• 'Help! There's a Stove in my Kitchen' is published by Random House Struik, R160

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