Cookery writer Damien Trench believes life should be simple, like one of his recipes. All he wants to do today, for example, is get the washing done. The problem is that his partner Anthony will not stop badgering him about getting a lodger, something Damien is keen to resist for the simple fact that he wants to keep the spare room as it should be, namely spare. When his literary agent Iain Frobisher asks Damien to write a restaurant review, something he is also keen to resist, Damien soon realises that sadly there is no simple recipe for life.