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There's no doubt cooking is sexy - Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (well, maybe) - but you can never have too much glamour. And Gizzi Erskine, presenter on Cook Yourself Thin and regular chef on This Morning, has that in beehived spades, along with great gorgeous dollops of cooking knowhow.

If celebrity chefs always make you quiver with insecurity however, it's good to know they've got their own kitchen nemesis. 'When I was at catering school I would become a wreck when we had a pastry-making class,' says Gizzi. 'The best short pastry falls apart when you try to line a tart case and frankly made steam come out of my ears.

'But for years now I have been making my own. I add more egg to it, that's all, which means I can work with it, and maybe if Michel Roux was coming for dinner I'd be exposed, but between me, you and your mates no-one is going to know.'

And her new book, Gizzi's Kitchen Magic, is packed with sneaky tips like this - including the ultimate way to chop an onion, making the perfect rice, and why you don't want perfectly fresh eggs for meringues - as well as recipes from around the world.

There's experimental desserts like Millionaire's shortbread with rosemary-infused salted caramel, or Sticky Banoffee pudding, a twist on the traditional sticky toffee pudding, as well as Vietnamese-inspired fish, an array of curry and even the unexpectedly named Chicken in weeds (don't worry, it's coriander).

'I wanted to address some of the cookery problems I had faced, to complement more advanced cookery books out there,' Gizzi says. Fingers crossed some of the magic I have sprinkled into this book will translate into your own cookery.'

Baked seafood and saffron risotto | Pineapple cake with lime frosting

Gizzi's Kitchen Magic is published by Virgin books, priced £20