KELLY BROWN: I thought I liked cooking '“ it seems there are people who like it more!

I love seeing all the ingredients lined up in tiny little piles, pots or dishes waiting to be turned into something special.

And I love it when my little boy helps me to cook spaghetti bolognese, pancakes or fairy cakes, even if they are not the most complicated recipes in the world.

There is the odd occasion when my kitchen can be a real scene of devastation when I have several dishes on the go – and not always just to store up for the children!

But it is only when you catch one of the many, many cooking shows on the television I realise how inadequate my culinary skills actually are.

And my enthusiasm is pretty much nonexistent next to the eager beavers who apparently spend their whole lives in the kitchen to ‘practise’.

Take The Great British Bake Off which can now be found on our screens at every week.

I watched as they agonised over making one of the country’s favourite desserts – the humble trifle – in both awe and disbelief in equal measure.

Lady fingers, classic jelly and those multi-coloured sprinkles were all out of the window, and instead replaced with ginger cake bakes, pina colada flavours and palm tree-shaped decorations.

It made me feel guilty about the thought of my own efforts which would have paled into insignificance.

Mind you, the previous week the bakers spent four hours (yes, that is FOUR HOURS) making a loaf of bread.

Okay, it was a fancy loaf of bread, but still. Who has the time to spend four hours making bread?

Not me... I barely find an hour to do the ironing!

But I’m determined not to let these professional amateur cooks deter me or make me feel bad that I would have no idea how to make a ‘floating island’, or whatever they have to do next.

Instead when my three-year-old wants to make something, I would rather spend half an hour making something fun or tasty. And then spend my remaining hours having more fun!

How depressing ...

HOW do you know Christmas is fast approaching? Because X Factor returns!

Yes, the weekend saw the return of the show which (whether you like it or not) will dominate our screens for the next few months as part of a horrible festive countdown from which there is no escape.

But the most depressing thing is knowing this is its tenth series. A decade of X Factor? Now I do feel old!

Twitter: @KellyBrownMTW