Create a new foodie you

Easy
Learn to love offal - not just liver and kidneys but oxtail, heart, tongue, tripe, pigs' trotters and sweetbreads (the thymus glands of veal, young beef, pork and lamb). Books such as Anissa Helou's The Fifth Quarter (£20, Absolute Press, £20; Olive offer £18) and Fergus Henderson's Nose to Tail Eating (£16.99, Bloomsbury; O offer £14.99) will hold your hand through the process.

Intermediate
Really get to know your area's food culture by attending one of the 'meet the producer' events held at Waitrose (waitrose.com) and Booths (booths-supermarkets.co. uk) - check websites for details. The Co-op doesn't run such events, but it does provide instore details about the provenance of the goods it sells. Or visit bigbarn.co.uk to find food producers, farm shops and markets in your area.

Hard
Stop slicing up fruit, veg and meat like a rookie chef on their first day in the job and get your knife skills up to Ninja standard on the day courses at Leiths School of Food and Wine (Knife Skills I, and II, £65 and £95 per person, per course; 020 7229 0177; www.leiths.com).

Easy
Scoring eco brownie points is as crucial to improving your foodie credentials as knowing how to pronounce 'bouillabaisse' (bwee-ya-bays). So fit your kitchen tap with a water-saving insert - it gives a spray when turned on a little (for washing fruit) and a stream when on full (for filling a kettle); £4.69 for two from www.doctorenergy.co.uk.

Intermediate
Souffles have a reputation as one of the most intimidating dishes around; make this the month you conquer your fear. Get hold of a copy of Michel Roux's Eggs (£14.99, Quadrille; Olive offer £13.99), which demystifies the technique with easyto- follow recipes.

Hard
Repeat after us: 'I've got worms'. There's no shame in it, especially when they're busy in a wormery, breaking down your kitchen waste - fruit, veg, bread, rice, egg boxes, coffee grounds, tea bags and egg shells - transforming waste into nutrient-rich plant feed for your garden. The Can-o-Worms wormery (£60, www.wigglywigglers.co.uk) is pretty much idiot proof. Go to www.bbc.co.uk/gardening for more on composting.

Easy
Ditch those rip-off plastic packs of herbs from your shopping list and grow your own in pots. If using a seed dibber is too Alan Titchmarsh for you, try Suttons Groweasy Seed Mats. The seeds are embedded in a bio-degradable disk - place in a pot of compost, water and wait for your harvest. Choose from three types of basil, parsley, chives and coriander. Five mats, £2.15 (sutton-seeds.co.uk).

Intermediate
Buying fruit and veg as locally and seasonally as possible is entry-level stuff for a true foodie - it cuts down on food miles (resulting in the expense of less CO2 emissions while in transit) and it also means you get produce that is fresher and often cheaper than you would find at the supermarket. If you can't get to your local farmers' market, visit www.alotoforganics.co.uk and www.soilassociation.org.uk for details of your nearest fruit and veg box delivery schemes.

Hard
Hone your martini-making expertise by signing up for one of the £12, hour-long masterclasses at Christopher's American Bar and Grill, in London's Covent Garden (020 7240 4222; www.christophersgrill.com) or invest in Difford's Guide to Cocktails vol 6 (£9.99; Difford Simon). You'll soon know your classic from your vodkatini.