In part two of How to Cook, Delia takes us forward from the staples of cooking to the fundamentals of dealing with fish, meat and poultry, fruit and vegetables. As in Book One, the aim is the same – to rediscover the simple pleasure of food and to guide beginners through many of the basic techniques that will serve them for a lifetime of cooking.

Here, with detailed photographs, you'll find clear and simple explanations of jointing and carving chicken, boning fish, melting chocolate, using leaf gelatine, making a vinaigrette, even serving a mango. Guidelines for roasting, grilling, frying and other methods of cooking are set out in Delia's comprehensive and accessible style, along with a year-round calendar of vegetables and an imaginative introduction to cooking with fruit, cheese and the bewildering array of new dairy products now on the shelves.

How to Cook Book Two begins with an invaluable inventory of the serious cook's larder for the 21st century, identifying the storecupboard ingredients, spices and flavourings that will transform your cooking for minimal cost. Over a hundred new recipes, ranging from soups and stews to salads and sweets, demonstrate how to put the techniques into practice and to make the most of good ingredients. This book will take the beginner, inspired by Book One, to new heights, as well as offering new ideas for even the most accomplished cook.