A thank you, and a promise of things to come.

My Mum's amazing. Look what arrived for me in the post this morning! She's also rather naughty. We were innocently having a discussion on the phone a few nights ago about the cookbooks I'd seen on Amazon, when suddenly she asks me to confirm my postcode with her. I ask why, slightly suspiciously, and she says, because those books will be on their way. See, wonderful, amazing, but very naughty indeed - not entirely unlike her mother!

Thanks to her never-ending generosity and indulgence of her daughters obsessive book/baking/cooking habits, I now own the new Ottolenghi cookbook, the Nigel Slater "Kitchen Diaries", and Locatelli's "Made in Italy." The first will help my not only my veggie repertoire, but will add some great ideas to baking days, the second will prompt me in the right direction whilst continuing my seasonal cookery, and the final one will make me yearn for Italy even more than I already am, and will hopefully help cure my cravings with great food and stories. All three books are beautiful aesthetically too - which to me is important in all books, but particularly books about something as aesthetically pleasing as good food - and no doubt will become favourites for bedtime (and test match) reading very soon indeed.

So this is a public thank you to my Mum for the wonderful new additions to my ever-growing cookbook collection and a promise that all subsequent food adventures from them will dutifully be posted, and quite possible even be carried to the North when I go and visit.

Thank you Mum, you're the bestest.