A FOOD blogger and author from Marlow is celebrating the success of his recipe book with a difference, which was described by one reviewer as ‘a cook book written by Top Gear’.

Phil Hawthorn has penned his first book, Can Men Cook, to give a helping hand to all those men out there who are clueless in the kitchen and can’t tell a spoon from a spatula.

The fun-loving cook, originally from Liverpool, has concocted a mix of recipes to guide men through the process, as well as throwing in cartoons, jokes and even sex tips along the way.

And after self-publishing the quirky title, the ambitious author celebrated selling his 100th copy during a recent book signing and is now hoping for publishers to sit up and take notice.

He said: "It’s a funny cook book rather than just the recipes you normally see. It helps men get from first base right through to cooking a full Sunday roast.

"Plus, it promises to make you a sex god along the way.

"The first 100 books felt a long way away as the boxes were delivered from the printers, but now we have passed that land mark, the world could be my oyster."

However, there are no recipes for oyster to be seen anywhere in his cook book - instead, the book has been crafted to guide the ingredient ignorant towards enlightenment.

He added: "There’s nothing that complicated. That’s not what I wrote the book for. It is aimed at getting men into the kitchen, who are maybe a bit lost or scared of ordinary recipe books.

"It assumes a limited base knowledge. We have You Tube instruction videos too - even down to chopping an onion. I also added a lot of jokes and stories into the mix to keep the men interested".

Originally from Liverpool, Phil has lived in Marlow for ten years and by day runs a management company.

A skilled cook in his own right, he has appeared on stage at the Ideal Home Show in London passing on his unique brand of kitchen wisdom.

The self-confessed food fanatic wanted to dispel the myth that learning to cook is complicated and laborious by jazzing up the experience for culinary maladroit males.

As well as recipes, a glossary of terms, ingredients, methods and styles aims to coach even the most novice cook through the labyrinth that is the kitchen.

And with recipes including fresh soups, fish dishes and salads, Phil hopes to encourage an attitude towards fresh food that will filter down to the younger generation.

He said: "It may be a funny cook book, but it does have serious intentions - to get us back to cooking from scratch. "And if we can get kids doing that, get them young, and get them enjoying cooking - well, we might end up with a whole nation of Mary Berrys and Jamie Olivers actually in the kitchen rather than just watching it on TV."

Can Men Cook is available from Phil’s website www.canmencook.com or as an e-book on Amazon.

He is also a popular food blogger, with his musings and food reviews listed at www.canmencook.wordpress.com