Food is a powerful thing. Good food can make you feel happy and well balanced; bad food can seriously disturb your equilibrium. A small step in the right direction could change your life – whether it’s discovering how to shop more efficiently, how to cook and enjoy it, or how to change your diet to suit your lifestyle.

Learn to cook
Do you resent every second you spend in the kitchen? It needn’t be so hard, and you don’t have to go it alone. We’ve got loads of tips to help your cakes to rise, as well as ideas for getting in and out of the kitchen in double-quick time. If you’ve got a specific query, our Cooking Coach is here to help.

Get a life
Why do so many of us quest after the perfect body at the expense of a good meal? Should we all stop counting calories and start enjoying food? And if you’re guilty of sizing up other people’s food shopping, what does your own basket say about you?

Go green
Take the plunge. Buy organic and talk to others who are doing the same. Go vegetarian and learn how to stay healthy – you don’t have to turn into a cheese freak.

Save the planet
Give your eco-credentials a boost. Read about the Great Food Gamble – a book by Radio 4 presenter John Humphrys outlining the long-term damage caused by our food industry – then save the environment from polluting food miles by visiting a farmers’ market.

Wise up on wine
Do you know the difference between Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc? Can you tell a Sauvignon Blanc from a bottle of paint stripper? If you’re hesitating, it’s time to buy in some bottles and check out Alice King’s online wine course. If nothing else, you’ll have a good party.

Whatever you do, have a happy new year.