Jamie Oliver put to the test So is it really possible to make a meal in the time it takes to hard-boil an egg? The reviews so far are mixed. "I can't chop as fast as Jamie, and found myself getting confused," writes a home chef on Amazon. "It took about 30 minutes, even without one part of the recipe, and the method was flawed," says one Mumsnet reviewer. Another adds: "That's a no on two counts - expensive ingredients and taking too long." Undeterred, I decide to give it a go. For my first dish, I attempt the elaborate-looking sizzling beef steak, hoisin prawn and noodle bowls - a sort of oriental surf'n"turf concoction topped with sesame seeds. The first hurdle is the shopping list: with 20 ingredients, including steak and tiger prawns, my bill comes to a hefty £28.25. Although the method looks easy, simple tasks such as finely chopping the chilli, ginger and garlic take me the best part of five minutes, and there's no mention of slicing the mushrooms or spring onions until it's far too late, and they have to go in whole. I've never tried to cook against the clock before - and I won't be doing it again. Normally a tidy chef, I find myself throwing hot pans into the sink, flailing wildly around the worktops and spilling ingredient after ingredient down my apron. My oven timer says it's taken me 32 minutes. However, although I failed the time-test, what I produced was certainly delicious: steaming bowls of zingy, saucy noodles topped with crispy just-done steak. For my next recipe, I flip to the vegetarian section (there are nine chapters, including pasta, "soups and sarnies" and breakfast). Some of the dishes are laughably simple - smoked salmon twirled on top of a giant Yorkshire pudding - but others look impressive. I opt for falafel wraps with grilled veg and salsa. It's much cheaper, costing just £7.08 for four, but I waste half an hour scouring my local supermarket in vain for harissa and pickled cabbage. I'm a bit quicker this time around, though, and 23 minutes after starting, I'm feeling smug about my plate of falafel patties, griddled vegetables and two tasty salsas to sandwich inside a steaming tortilla. My final challenge is Oliver's gorgeous Greek chicken, herby vegetable couscous and tzatziki. The recipe is written in his trademark chatty style: I'm told to "scrunch" the cucumber and "bash" the chicken before "popping" it all on a platter to serve. When you're in a hurry, it's all a bit annoying. After catapulting the vegetables into a pan, I'm in such a rush to make the dip that I grate some of my thumb along with the cucumber and waste a precious minute digging around for a plaster. Short of growing a couple of extra arms, I'm not sure how to keep track of all the pans that are sizzling and hissing around me. At one point the Telegraph photographer has to jump in and turn down the chicken, which is blackening on one side. Minus the dill and olives (which, amid the stress of speed cooking, I forget to get out of the fridge), it takes half an hour to produce a passable, albeit messy, plate of fluffy couscous, chargrilled chicken and minty yogurt dip - all for £12.56. These recipes are undeniably tasty, and 15 Minute Meals will no doubt top the Christmas bestseller list, with ideas that will be welcomed by busy families, cash-strapped teenagers and anyone who's short on time. But I'm afraid that, once again, Oliver's cookbook hasn't quite lived up to his claim. I'm a big fan of Oliver's food ethos, and if this book gets more people to cook for themselves with fresh, healthy ingredients, then it's nothing short of miraculous. But it'll be another miracle altogether if they can do it in a quarter of an hour. 'Jamie's 15-Minute Meals" by Jamie Oliver (Michael Joseph) is available to order from Telegraph Books for £18.99 + £1.35 p&p. To order, call 0844 871 1515 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk