Five Italians living in the UK are inviting students to their homes to be taught basic Italian recipes that will see them through the academic year.

The initiative, run by Sacla, follows a survey which found 73 percent of British students can’t cook simple healthy meals, while 78 percent admitted they don’t know how to boil an egg. Nearly half said they don’t know how to cut up a pepper.

Mary Sherwood, the daughter of Sicilian parents, will open her London home to students next month. She told The Local that Italian food appeals to students because of its simplicity.

“As long as you use good ingredients you can make an excellent Italian meal,” she said.

Sherwood always cooks from scratch and is already teaching her four-year-old son his culinary skills, but she said the same cannot be said for the majority of British parents.

“Some mothers would teach their children how to cook, but the number is very low in general,” Sherwood said.

The students will be learning a range of Italian dishes, including risotto and pizza.

“If I manage to teach one student how to cook one dish, I’ll be happy. If it’s more I will be even happier,” Sherwood said.

Watch a video about the campaign: