It will be music to the ears of chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay, who have shouted from the rooftops of their campaigns to get people back into the kitchen.

Figures released yesterday show many are turning their backs on microwaves and getting back to basics, cooking meals from scratch instead of eating pre-prepared food.

Five years ago, only a quarter of people said they prepared meals from scratch, but now 41% do so, according to research from consumer analysts Mintel.

It said Britain was becoming a more health-conscious nation, choosing fresh ingredients instead of processed meals, with only 11% of adults regularly using a microwave to cook their evening meal.

People are also becoming more adventurous, with 29% of adults saying they are always willing to try new exciting recipes, while one in five like to experiment with authentic ethnic cooking.

Richard Caines, senior homewares specialist at Mintel, said: "It is clear that Brits are keen to get back in the kitchen and rekindle their love affair with good old fashioned home-cooked fare.

"One of the main reasons for this is our growing interest in eating more healthy, freshly- made dishes that are better for you."

Julie Armstrong, lecturer in public health nutrition at Glasgow Caledonian University, said the findings were "promising".

"There has been a tremendous amount of media coverage on the relationship between quality of diet and health outcomes," she said. "I would hope the population is picking up on that and realising that there is a link between the quality of your diet and health risks.

"People also maybe feel that they want to know more about what is in the dishes they are eating. If they buy a vegetable lasagne in a supermarket, they don't really know exactly what is in it. But if people are making it themselves, they know what is in their food."

The latest findings come after The Grocer reported that sales of frozen mashed potato, frozen aubergine and ready-made spice mixes had soared after they were featured in Delia Smith's TV series and accompanying book, How To Cheat At Cooking.

She used ingredients such as tinned mince in her recipes which were designed for the modern family. At the time, Delia said: "This is not how to cook. It's how to cook when you're busy."

However, the show was criticised by food writers and some of Delia's own fans. One said: "I sat open-mouthed as I watched the frozen mash being produced. I squirmed at the mention of tinned mince, cried at the pre-chopped carrots and swede."

But despite the criticism, the "Delia effect" appears to have struck again. Some 50,000 copies of her book were sold in the first two days, a record for a non-fiction hardback release, and supermarkets and manufacturers have gone on to witness a surge in demand for the products featured.

Sales of frozen mash rose 215% year-on-year in March, according to Heinz, while frozen aubergine sales were up 461%, according to Asda. Sales of one range, Seasoned Pioneers' spice blends, soared 20-fold, said The Grocer.

The Mintel report, based on a survey of 912 shoppers, showed people are also willing to fork out for the latest kitchen gadgets to help them prepare home-cooked fare.

Britons are predicted to spend £487m on utensils by the end of the year, up 14% in the last five years. This includes 88.5 million new pots, pans and kitchen knives, an 8% increase on 2003.

Mr Caines said: "Not only are Brits looking to cook more, they are also happy to spend more doing it."