Despite the efforts of celebrity chefs such as Delia Smith and Nigella Lawson, many cannot make themselves a simple meal, the poll of 1,500 adults found.

It showed 79 per cent of adults cannot boil an egg, while 83 per cent do not know how long it takes to roast a chicken and 9 per cent think it takes less than 30 minutes to roast potatoes.

More than a third (37 per cent) think shepherd's pie is made with beef mince rather than lamb mince. Half of men blamed their poor skills on a lack of cookery classes at school.

However, 41 per cent of people aged 16-24 regularly cooked with their parents when they were younger, compared with 28 per cent of over-65s.

Pete Williams, the spokesman for Somerfield, which commissioned the poll, said: "A lot of us are still baffled Brits when it comes to cooking even the most simple of dishes.

"Long may the trend for today's parents to pass on their culinary skills to their offspring continue.

"It would be criminal to rob future generations of classic dishes, such as shepherd's pie, because we've failed to pass on the necessary skills."