Its official – soufflés, beef Wellington and baked Alaska are the dishes that people in Britain find the most stressful to cook according to a new survey by Stoves, sponsors of the WI Cookery School.

Getting a soufflé to rise is a kitchen nightmare for many Brits while soggy pastry and cooking the meat properly make beef Wellington another tricky dish. Other dishes which made it on to the ‘potential for disaster list’ were profiteroles, croissants, paella and meringue.

The survey also found that over a quarter of respondents said perfecting simple dishes like poached eggs and omelettes is often harder than cooking complicated meals. Brian Turner, celebrity chef and brand ambassador for Stoves, said: "Whilst many recipes leave scope for a bit of experimentation, classics dishes and techniques such as soufflés and pastry are an exact science and can easily cause problems for the more inexperienced cook."

Here's a fool-proof dinner party main meal recipe from Brian Turner:

SPICED BEEF FILLET ON A BED OF GREEN BEANS WITH A RATATOUILLE DRESSING

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

2lb centre cut fillet of beef
1tsp black peppercorns
½ tsp. coriander seeds
½ tsp. ground ginger
1tsp celery salt
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1tsp chopped fresh thyme
Pinch of curry powder
Pinch of grated nutmeg

DRESSING
1 finely chopped shallot
1 crushed garlic clove
4tbsp olive oil
½ red pepper
½ green pepper
1 small courgette
2 tomatoes
2tbsp sherry vinegar
2tbsp chicken stock

1lb green beans
2oz butter
Salt & pepper

METHOD
1. Tie the fillet to keep its shape
2. Seal and colour the beef fillet all around to a good brown colour
3. Take out and cool
4. Grind the peppercorns and thyme to a powder
5. Mix with the rest of the spices
6. Roll the beef in the ground spices and leave to rest overnight
7. Heat the oil and put the beef in, roast in the oven 180 c for about 25 minutes until cooked (try to keep medium rare)
8. Take out and rest
9. Meanwhile heat olive oil
10. Gently soften the shallots and garlic, do not colour
11. Cut the peppers and courgette into ¼ “ dice then add to the pan
12. Cook gently until tender then take off the heat
13. Stir in the tomato, skinned and deseeded and cut into ¼ “ dice
14. Add the sherry vinegar and chicken stock and season
15. Cook the green beans, add to the butter and season, then lay on the centre of the plate
16. Cut the beef into 4 steaks laying each on top of the beans
17. Pour the dressing over the meat and serve

For more information on the latest fantastic range of Stoves products, go to: http://www.stoves.co.uk/.