The Basic Cookbook by Maryanne Blacker

I found this book very useful when I first started cooking in my early teens. I still use some of the techniques at the back of the book, especially the tip about how to check if your steak is cooked to your liking. The recipes are very 80s classic style, but sometimes the oldies are the goodies, if not the best. My favourite recipe is definitely Macaroni Cheese, I make this every few weeks through winter and of all the versions I have tried this, the first one I ever made, is the best. I used to think it was horribly old-fashioned to see tripe or lamb's brains in a recipe book, but the innards are all starting to come back again, so I guess everything comes around again.