A COOKERY roadshow has rolled into Blackburn to give shoppers top tips about tins.

The CAN-venient Cooking! roadshow arrived at the town's shopping centre yesterday and will be sharing ideas with people until Saturday in Victoria Court.

The roadshow chef is hosting three daily cookery sessions demonstrating how, by cooking with canned food, you can rustle up an array of quick, nutritious and delicious meals. Ideas include healthy ways to start the day, lunches with a difference and simple but delicious dinners.

As well as watching the CAN-venient Cooking! chef in action, shoppers can win spot prizes and enter a competition to win a stylish stainless steel microwave oven, a hamper of canned food and copies of the new CAN-venient Cooking! book.

The book contains inspirational combinations of fresh and canned food ingredients from celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson and expert nutrition tips from dietician Lyndel Costain.

Antony Worrall Thompson said: "Canned food really is one of the forgotten quick and healthy cooking options. It's ready and waiting when you want it rather than having to be eaten before it goes off and, despite what people think, it's mostly preservative-free, with some canned meat and fish being the only exceptions."

Tinned food promoter Canned Food UK says that contrary to popular belief, it is the canning process that preserves food. Harvesting food as soon as it is ready and canning it immediately ensures that the optimum number of nutrients are locked in-- unlike its fresh counterparts which can be artificially forced to ripen out of season and lose some of their goodness in storage and transport.

For a quick, nutritious meal in minutes try white bean bruschetta. It takes minutes to prepare and can be made in advance and stored in the fridge.

We may not enjoy Mediterranean weather but some of the following ingredients -- butter beans, garlic, olive oil and tomatoes -- are all heart-healthy ingredients of the renowned Mediterranean diet.