AT one time, every girl learned to cook. While the boys were making bookcases, members of the fairer sex were turning out scones and fairy cakes. Not any more it seems.

A survey by the Guides Association revealed that nearly half of all schoolgirls do not have even basic cookery skills.

Forty-per cent of those questioned said they had never boiled an egg.

Some feminists welcomed the figures, believing they showed that women were breaking free of the shackles of the kitchen sink - but in other quarters, they were greeted with dismay.

Rita Rees, a design technology teacher at Hurworth Comprehensive School, near Darlington, said: "It's quite sad really but, to be honest, I'm not surprised by it. It shows that young people just don't cook any more and those figures were just for the girls. There are probably even fewer boys who can cook."

She believes the lack of skills is largely due to the way in which cookery is now taught. Gone are domestic science and home economics. These days, both boys and girls have design technology lessons.

It gives youngsters the chance to study subjects that were previously the domain of the opposite sex - but there are disadvantages.

Mrs Rees said: "The students are given projects with objectives, but for different materials, depending on the subject, such as wood, plastic or food. In cookery, for example, they had to design a ready meal that could be sold in supermarkets.

"A lot of it is just writing and there are very few practical sessions, which is a shame because most of them just like to cook."

At Hurworth, the staff try to make up for this by teaching one term of basic cookery skills, including making pastry and bread, but when one year ten group was asked if any of them had ever boiled an egg only two hands went up.

Although they all claimed to enjoy cooking, very few said they used their skills at home.

"My mam does all the cooking", and, "We have a lot of microwave meals", were typical comments.

And, while they all recognised the benefits of cooking for themselves, they all said that ready meals were far easier and quicker, especially with today's hectic lifestyles.

Everyone agreed that both men and women should take their turn in the kitchen and, interestingly, it was a boy who was most interested in cooking.

Like the ubiquitous Jamie Oliver, Martin Clark's parents run a pub.

"I sometimes help out with the cooking and I want to be a chef," he said, but even this aspiring Naked Chef had never boiled an egg.

He joined the other students as they put on their pinnies and headed over to the cookers. They were given no instructions, just a pan of water and an egg. Ten minutes, lots of giggles and a charred wooden spoon later, it was time to see how they did.

One egg was cooked to perfection, with a lovely runny yellow yolk. The rest were approaching hard boiled but were still edible.

It wasn't a bad effort, considering most of the students had simply guessed how long it would take.

"We've passed the egg test," one said, but somehow, I think it will be a long time before any of them boils another egg