ONE quarter of British parents admit they don't teach their children the basics of cooking, a new study reveals.

Despite the fact that 66 per cent of the 1,600 people questioned cooked with their parents when they were young, 25 per cent admit they are not passing these vital skills onto their children.

The parents quizzed in the survey by McDougalls spent an average of just 2.2 hours with their family a day, which doesn't include the time spent getting them ready for school or ready for bed.

And the majority spent that time either eating dinner, watching TV or helping their sons or daughters with their homework.

Asked what basic kitchen tasks their children could do (with some help), a huge 87 per cent said their kids couldn't make simple confectionery like peppermint creams, 70 per cent said they couldn't knead dough and 65 per cent said they couldn't boil an egg.

But 55 per cent admitted their children did know how to heat a ready meal in the microwave.

A spokesperson for McDougalls said: "Parents are wasting precious time with their kids by watching TV rather than spending quality time teaching them life skills such as cooking.

"Teaching youngsters how to cook will interest them in good, nutritious food and show them that activities that are good for them can also be fun and rewarding."

Celebrity chef and mum, Lesley Waters, said: "I am sure that one of the reasons I'm so passionate about good food and cooking today is because, from a very early age, my mum encouraged me into the kitchen.

"As far as I'm concerned kids are never too young to learn about good food."