The British, long scorned by the French for their lack of ability in the kitchen, will be offered a chance to redeem themselves this Christmas when the bible of traditional French cooking, Ginette Mathiot's Je Sais Cuisiner, is published in English for the first time.

First published in French in 1932, Je Sais Cuisiner has sold more than 6m copies in France and – still in print today – is seen as the indispensible cookbook for every household. Containing more than 1,400 recipes, it is the magnum opus of the domestic goddess of French cooking Mathiot, for which she was made an Officier de la Légion

d'Honneur.

"There is quite a misperception about French cuisine – that it is difficult, that it is cheffy," said Emilia Terragni, editorial director at Phaidon, which publishes the English translation, I Know How To Cook, this November. "But French cuisine is the base of all western cuisine: from a mayonnaise to a béchamel to a stew, all basic techniques are French."

Fortunately for cack-handed rosbifs, additional information has been added to recipes in the English version. "I'm Italian, and in Italy and France we have the same approach to cookbooks – they take a lot of things for granted because people learn to cook at home, so sometimes they are not very explicit," said Terragni. "We will expand the

methods [in this English version]."

I Know How To Cook will be the latest in Phaidon's venture into English translations of European cookbooks. It was a Christmas bestseller in 2005 with Italian cookery bible The Silver Spoon, which Terragni said has now sold hundreds of thousands of copies around the world, following it up with the Spanish equivalent, 1080 Recipes, and the Greek, Vefa's Kitchen.

Phaidon hopes to enjoy similar success with Mathiot's classic, which has been updated to suit modern kitchens while, it says, "preserving the original integrity of the book and authenticity of the dishes". Running to 1,000 pages, it will be divided into 15 chapters including milk, eggs and cheese, fish, game, and sweets, preserves and drinks, priced at £24.95.

"We've high hopes – there's definitely a gap in the market because there is no comprehensive book about home French cooking," said Terragni. "It's one of those books you keep for ever – it's got all the basics and all the great things of French cuisine, from a simple omelette to a coq au vin and a crepe suzette."