Why oh why do I still harbour a secret desire to be a domestic goddess, when in reality I'm a bit of a disaster in the kitchen?

My long-suffering husband is well past the phase of sounding enthusiastic when I announce that we have a 'surprise' for dinner.

Now, I just get 'the look' and sadly, it's become a bit of a family joke. Our son, Max has developed his own version of 'the look'.

Never one to give up without a fight, I recently met up with Olivia Guinebault, a Shanghai-based, French expat with a passion for her native cuisine.

On a mission to make cooking a pleasure and raise awareness of healthy eating, Olivia has been running French cooking classes for expats and ayis for some time now.

Wanting to spread the word on a wider scale, she has put together her own food bible, 'Cuisine Mei Wenti', which is now available in Beijing.

Pop along to Counting Sheep Boutique, The Bookworm, Comptoirs de France, Le Petit Gourmand, Gaea or Secrets from Africa and for the bargain price of 250 RMB this too can be yours.

Available in English-Chinese or French-Chinese, the wipe-clean, ring-bound manual takes both you and your ayi through:

• Food preparation

• Useful tools (e.g. table settings)

• Do's & don'ts (e.g. raw and cooked meat and veg)

• Cooking methods (Western and Chinese)

• Creating a balanced menu

• Recipe cards and step by step guides (for entrees, mains, side dishes and desserts)

• Bilingual shopping lists

Reluctant to finally hang up my pinny for good, I reckon it's worth one more shot before it solely becomes part of ayi's library.

Failing which, I might just take a leaf out of Jerry Hall's book,

"My mother said it was simple to keep a man, you must be a maid in the living room, a cook in the kitchen and a whore in the bedroom. I said I'd hire the other two and take care of the bedroom bit. "

Bon Appetit!