The Horror! The Horror!

I've been reading a series of "cozy" English mysteries by Veronica Heley. "Cozy" I generally take to mean quiet, domestic mystery stories without anything that's going to give me nightmares.

These books fill the bill, and I'm quite enjoying them... but every so often the protagonist decides to cook something, and the writer gives us the details. As, for instance:

Ellie sauteed some onions, threw in some chicken drumsticks, a tin of chopped tomatoes,some herbs, half a chicken stock cube, and topped off with hot water. There, that could go in the oven on medium until they were ready to eat.

And people keep telling me English cooking has improved.