So many cookery books are published promoting the use of local ingredients and rediscovering British food traditions – where to start? For cakes I’d go straight to Pam Corbin’s latest addition to the River Cottage series – called, naturally - Cakes. It’s a very good mix of the new and traditional, a good solid kitchen companion that won’t let you down. Two books to help find the best local produce, the larger volume, Food Britannia by Andrew Webb is definitely one to keep in the car but Rose Prince’s The Good Produce Guide  is more pocket friendly, both good guides offering a different view on where to go and what to buy.

Mark Hix will get you reacquainted with the best British Seasonal Food, his The Great British Food Revival  showcases the best of British produce. Next, Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Ministry of Food, a book looking back at the kitchens of World War Two and the ingenuity shown by women dealing with rationing. A large dose of nostalgia but also some good pointers for money saving.  And a personal favourite, Vanessa Kimbell, a new name to remember, has come up with a truly original, extremely eatable selection of recipes in Prepped! As a busy mother she knows the pressure of feeding the family, as a professional cook she has new ideas and advice on preparing extremely good food with minimum fuss.

And for the busy cook is there anything more relaxing than a bedtime perusal of something delicious? Beata Zatorska’s Rose Petal Jam is an ideal choice, beautifully illustrated, the recipes interspersed with memories and observations as she goes back to Poland and writes of the countryside and the very special food she remembers from childhood.