CONSERVATIVE peer Baroness Jenkin has been forced to apologise after claiming “poor people don’t know how to cook”.

Baroness Jenkin, who is married to North Essex MP Bernard Jenkin, made the comment during the launch of a report into stamping out hunger.

She is part of the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Hunger in the UK and said one problem was cooking skills had been lost over the years.

She said: “Poor people don’t know how to cook.

“I had a large bowl of porridge today which cost 4p. A large bowl of sugary cereals will cost you 25p.”

Speaking to the Gazette, Baroness Jenkin, said: “If I have caused offence to anyone, I deeply regret that.

“What I was trying to say is there are five million people in this country who are struggling to make ends meet.

“If you are living on a tight budget, it is cheaper to cook from scratch.

“But society, as a whole, has lost a lot of its cooking skills.

“In addition, if you don’t have the facilities to cook, it is difficult.”