Love him or loathe him, Jamie Oliver makes people sit up and pay attention to his latest cause - in this case Jamie's Ministry of Food. His Channel 4 seriesaims to get the whole nation cooking by each of us learning to cook a recipe and then “passing it on” to at least two, and preferably four, other people to encourage us all into the kitchen.

If you've been too busy getting a family meal on the table to watch TV, don't panic, there is a book to go with the series (Jamie's Ministry of Food Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours (Penguin, £25). It has some healthy, tasty-sounding recipes, but watch out for generous servings of single and double cream, spoonfuls of crème fraîche, knobs of butter and pastry casings.

Jamie's campaign is an inspiration, but home cooks can be the best people to turn to for dishes that are fast, fresh, inspiring and good value for money.

Here are five of my favourite cookbooks.

Off the Shelf by Donna Hay (Fourth Estate, £16.99)

With chapters dedicated to pasta, rice, noodles, grains and lentils, you can cook beautiful everyday food cheaply.

After Work Cook by Carina Cooper (Collins, £9.99)

Mum of four Carina Cooper has produced 150 quick and vibrant recipes that aim to be fuss-free. You can whip up her pork-and-sweet-potato-mash dish in 30 minutes. With only eight ingredients and just a teaspoon of olive oil, it is filling, delicious, healthy and easy on your purse strings.

Day to Day: Easy Recipes for Everyday Cooking and Easy Entertaining by Phillippa Cheifitz (Struik, £12.99)

Sections such as “One chicken fillet, four ultra-healthy ways” serve a basic pan-fried chicken fillet with minimal but tasty ingredients. She does the same with grilled fish, steak and casseroles, so once you learn one method you have four more dishes at your fingertips.

The Victory Cookbook by Marguerite Patten (Chancellor Press, £12.99)

If you really want to take austerity cooking to heart, there's always this book by the wartime Ministry of Food cook. What Marguerite Patten did not know about how to stretch a budget was not worth knowing.

Frugal Foods by Delia Smith (Hodder & Stoughton, £17.99)

The bestseller of 32 years ago is to be relaunched on October 30. It uses good honest ingredients in home-cooked recipes for those on a shoestring. Nothing could be more timely.

Amanda Ursell is the Times nutritionist