The phrase "healthy eating" is often looked upon with contempt, conjuring up premonitions of long nights spent starving yourself, with couscous and beans as your only friends. But maybe you’re just sick of eating the same old junk everyday of the week? Or perhaps you’ve let yourself go a little and could stand to lose a little weight?

Contrary to the stereotype, dieting doesn’t have to leave the dieter an unsatisfied shell of a human being. Healthy home cooking can be delicious and even fun, if you’ve got the necessary skills. And sometimes, after a weeks of eating fatty comfort foods, even the most prolific binge-eater really can start to crave fresh, healthy produce.

Real home cooking doesn’t have to be a lot of effort, or leave you counting the pennies. A simple concoction of fresh ingredients can cost less than £2 a head, whilst being both filling and nutritious. For instance, soup is a perfect example of cost-effective food. Essentially, all there is to it is; fry some onions in olive oil, add the focal ingredient such as butternut squash or lentils then add some stock and simmer.

However if you lack the most basic cooking skills and performing even the easiest home cooking tasks is daunting to you, there are various cookery courses available. These cater for anyone, from cooking courses for beginners up to a highly advanced level in an array of cooking techniques.

So no matter what your level of ability is, they’ll be a course available to accommodate your level of knowledge. And whatever cuisine is preferred there’s something to suit everyone, from delicate, traditional French cookery to the explosive flavours of Chinese food. Almost every type of cuisine can be prepared in healthy, low fat ways. Healthy eating really doesn’t have to be a challenge. Learning to cook isn’t just about techniques, but also learning about the ingredients used in dishes. There are so many potential combinations of ingredients, that just learning of new ways of doing things can spark the budding chef’s imagination.

Similarly if are fairly confident in the kitchen, but are bored of knocking up the same old food, in the same way, in the same kitchen, there will also be a course to help you learn new dishes. Otherwise, recipe books are also another way to reinvigorate your appetite for home cooking, as well as any family members or house mates that share the kitchen.

It’s pretty much guaranteed that cooking for yourself not only saves money, but makes the newly found chef feel better in themselves. Whether it’s learning a new skill that excites you, or simply replenishing your vitamin starved body, it’s always good to take some time to get into the kitchen and cook.