CHEF Lyn Hall has cooked up a storm in her glittering career - not only has she created wonderful dishes for the famous, she's taught them as well. Prince Charles loved her crab souffle and wanted her to become his private chef, Princess Diana delighted in her ''light as air'' canapes, while students at her Surrey cookery school have included chefs who now run some of the best restaurants in the UK.

Now Lyn has drawn on her 25 years experience, including working with top chefs such as Anton Mosimann and Michel Roux, to write her first book, Lyn Hall's Cookery Course.

''I want to inspire those who love eating food and want to be more confident in preparing it,'' she says. ''I've learnt the secrets of some of the best chefs in the world and I've taught everyone from a beginner to the competent cook who wants to be impressive.''

Lyn is entirely self-taught and first discovered a passion for food when she arrived in England from South Africa in the 70s.

''I was a teenager, unskilled and had never cooked in my life. At first I just took jobs as a waitress to earn money, but I discovered I loved being behind the scenes in the kitchen. I gradually worked my way up.''

Her first introduction to the world of celebrity was dating Dudley Moore. She says: ''He loved to eat, and we met because I was a waitress at a cafe he used regularly. He once took over a whole restaurant so we could dine alone together.''

Lyn believes there is too much mystique and pretension surrounding cooking, which prevents many people from enjoying what should be a basic skill.

''No-one knows how to cook naturally and these days, fewer and fewer people are taught at home. Learning to cook is rather like learning to drive a car. You need to understand the basics, and then practise frequently.''

Her book offers common sense guidance on methods from roasting to steaming, which cuts of meat to choose, and even how to tell if food is ready. It also has simple but mouthwatering recipes, many of which have been made for the famous, such as Persian style chicken pilaf with pistachios and barberries.

Her own favourite is Roast Fillet of Spiced Beef, and she loves easy, quick desserts such as her Orange and Campari ''grown up'' jelly.

ROAST FILLET OF SPICED BEEF

(serves 8-10)

1 whole beef fillet, fully trimmed

About 7 tablespoons thyme, shallot and aromatic oil

45g/1 1/2oz/1 cup fresh coriander leaves

For the marinade:

2tbsp coriander seeds

2tbsp allspice berries

1tbsp dried chilli flakes

6 large cloves garlic, unpeeled

170ml/6fl oz/3/4 cup mushroom ketchup

4tbsp Worcestershire sauce

5tbsp runny honey

375ml/13fl oz/1 1/3 cups soy sauce

120ml/4fl oz/1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Make the marinade. Lightly crush the coriander, allspice berries and dried chilli using a pestle and mortar, or place them in a plastic bag and bash with the base of a saucepan.

Smash the garlic cloves with the side of a knife. Combine the crushed spices, garlic, mushroom ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, honey, soy sauce and olive oil in a deep, non-corrosive ceramic or glass dish, or in a Ziploc bag.

Place the beef on the marinade and leave overnight or for several days, turning from time to time.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 220C/425 degrees/gas mark 7. Heat a heavy roasting tin on top of the stove. Wipe the beef dry with your hands. Add a light film of aromatic oil to the pan and sear the fillet on all sides, then place it in the oven to roast for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, strain about 450ml/16fl oz/2 cups of the marinade into a jug. When the beef is cooked, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool. De-glaze the hot roasting pan with the marinade and 4tbsp of the oil, and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring often.

When the beef is cooler, chop the coriander leaves roughly and add to the sauce. Slice the beef as thinly as you can and arrange on a long serving dish. Serve with the sauce.

For the aromatic oil:

570ml/1 pint/2 1/2 cups groundnut oil

3 shallots, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, squashed

45g/1 1/2oz/3/4 cup thyme

100ml/3 1/2fl oz/scant 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Heat the groundnut oil, shallots, garlic and thyme together in a saucepan until just below smoking point. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool. Pour in the extra virgin olive oil then transfer to a bottle, seal and store in the refrigerator.

l Lyn Hall's Cookery Course (Conran Octopus, £25, available from Thursday) She teaches privately and runs courses. Call: 020 7584 6841