A metric cup equals 250 ml (millilitres) which is about 8 fluid ounces. An American cup equals 225 ml.

In most cases, 20 ml equals 1 tablespoon, but to add to the confusion some of the new metric measuring spoons are using a 15 ml tablespoon.

One US pint is 16 fluid ounces; one UK pint is 20 fluid ounces.

Americans measure many ingredients by the cup; one cup is 8 fluid ounces. In England most measurements are done in pounds and ounces, though we are supposed to have gone metric. There are 16 ounces to 1 pound.

Very large quantities are measured in stones (14 pounds = 1 stone), but you're not likely to need to know about that unless you're catering for vast numbers of people or buying a sack of potatoes.

• Biscuit ~ cookie; can also be cracker, or a scone sort of bread
• Capsicum ~ bell pepper
• Castor sugar is a fine sugar with smaller granules than normal sugar
• Chilli ~ hot pepper or chile or chili (spelling's just different)
• Coriander leaves ~ cilantro
• Cornflour ~ cornstarch
• Custard powder ~ boxed mix made up of maize starch, flour, sugar, salt, flavours and colours; mixed and cooked with milk to make custard
• Icing sugar ~ powdered sugar or confectioner sugar. True icing sugar does not have the cornstarch added
• Polony or Devon ~ bologna
• Sultanas ~ golden raisins
• Treacle ~ a thick dark sticky sweetener made from cane sugar; similar to a dark corn syrup
• Tomato sauce ~ ketchup or possible might mean pasta sauce