When I was 13 I remember burning sausage rolls and cakes regularly on a Thursday afternoon in my home economics class.

I was never very good at cooking because I'd be distracted by something and leave the oven on so it burnt my well prepared vegetable lasagne to a crisp.

Apart from the disasterous end result I remember not really enjoying cooking because all we created were stodgy foods.

Of course, it probably would have helped if we had Jamie Oliver as a teacher instead.

Cooking has never been my favourite pastime because apart from the burning I don't tend to find the time to do it.

At university, my housemates used to make a full roast dinner with all the trimmings on a Sunday afternoon.

I would be languishing in front of the television nursing a hangover and watching Hollyoaks.

They would be diligently peeling carrots, roasting potatoes and making gravy.

When the food would be made we would all sit round a little table and there would be complete silence as we ate greedily.

It was the only time in the week when we all sat around and savoured each other's company.

Healthy cooking in schools is something that is greatly encouraged but it is not just children who should learn to cook well.

As much as Gillian McKeith annoys me she has the right idea at targeting the older generation who are potentially already overweight and will not get the same advice as their children.

I only started to learn to cook when I was at university and I'm sure there are many people older than me who rely on microwave meals and takeaways.

Starting young is very important in cooking but getting the older generation to cook healthily for themselves is certainly the right step.