Cook's book

One Step Ahead, by Mary Berry, published by Quadrille.

THESE days, even the most organised and keenest of cooks regularly finds themselves pressed for time when preparing a meal. The answer often lies in some element of pre-preparation, whether its having a bake or a stuffed roast assembled in the refrigerator ready to be popped in the oven or simply a fiddly sauce or topping already made to speed the service of an otherwise straightforward dish.

In One Step Ahead, bestselling author Mary Berry, acknowledged doyenne of good home cooking for over a generation, does just this, providing 120 recipes which are constructed in such a way that you can either just simply work through them in the usual way or take them to a stage that’ll give you a head start when you have to put a meal together in a limited time.

Banana with Lemon Drizzle Cake

Serves 6-8

175g (6oz) butter, softened, plus more for the tin

175g (6oz) caster sugar

3 eggs 300g

(10oz) self-raising flour

2 level tsp baking powder

2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

Grated zest of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons milk

For the topping:

Juice of 1 lemon

100g (4oz) granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 5. Line the base of a 20cm (8inch) deep round cake tin and butter the sides.

Measure the cake ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Mix together until smooth, using a hand mixer or beat by hand. Pour into the lined tin and level the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes, until light golden brown. Test with a skewer to see if the cake is cooked through; if the skewer comes out clean, the cake is cooked. Leave to cool down a little, then remove from the tin.

Make the topping by mixing together the ingredients in a bowl. Pour over the warm cake and spread out to the edges. Leave to become completely cold before slicing.

Note: The cake can be made and iced up to 48 hours ahead and kept in a dry, sealed container. It also freezes well, iced or uniced.