Out of the shed, into the kitchen: cooking is heart of new ‘man cave’

MEN are laying down their hammers, screwdrivers and spirit levels and picking up blenders and spiralisers as their domain moves from the garden shed to the kitchen.

About 40 per cent are confident about cooking a meal from scratch, while just 32 per cent feel the same when it comes to household DIY, according to new research.

The study, by Mintel, shows that just one in four men aged between 16 and 34 has faith in their ability to take on jobs about the home compared with almost half of those aged over 65.

Experts said the attractions of technology meant the “man cave” had moved indoors.

Jack Duckett, senior consumer lifestyles analyst at Mintel, said new hitech kitchen gear made it a more desirable space.

Aspirational advertising had also made men more interested in cooking. “Kitchens are now much more exciting. Cooking is seen as a project – men get to build things and be creative,” he said.

“It’s a whole new area and set of skills for them to assume – and it’s also seen as a way for them to mark themselves out as a bit different,” added Mr Duckett.

The kitchen is slowly getting even more hi-tech thanks to the infiltration of “internet of things” devices such as smart toasters, cookers and hobs.

Analysts said that cooking had also shed its feminine image thanks to shows including The Great British Bake Off and Masterchef. The statistics revealed that men are especially comfortable in the traditionally female field of baking.

Almost one in four men aged between 16 and 24 is very confident in their baking skills, compared with just 12 per cent of those aged over 65.

One in three says they are undaunted by the challenge of knocking up a Victoria sponge.

The figures revealed that Londoners were particularly handy with a spatula. One in five males was confident of their baking abilities compared with just 12 per cent of those in Scotland and East Anglia.

Bake Off host Paul Hollywood, who will stay with the show when it moves to Channel Four, is seen as an example for men to follow into the world of bread and cake. The show has also had two male winners.

Shows such as Masterchef are also widely watched by men. The popular BBC cooking show has had many male contestants and winners – in some years, too many. Masterchef: The Profes

sionals was criticised in 2015 after all 10 contestants to reach the final were male.