(Click on the title for more of Majjie's thoughts)

This book was published last year, but I've added it as one of 2010's must buys, because I also wanted to include Volume 2 (about fruit). I already have a really great vegetable cookbook on my list - for fresh veg enthusiasts and growers (Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook) - but I'm now thinking that such people (me included) would really love this book too.

It's a big, coffee table style book, with lots of lovely pictures but like all really great cookbooks, the recipes are mouth wateringly good ... and the writing is personal and inspirational. There are notes on growing the vegetables, on varieties (useful to those of us who just buy them too) and on Nigel's experience growing his own.

The recipes include combinations with other foods that work well (with complete recipes); crab cakes and crushed peas, for instance; broccoli and lamb stir fry and chocolate beetroot cake. In other recipes, the vegetables are definitely the star ingredients, like luxury cauliflower cheese, broad bean salad, pumpkin scones and gratin of white cabbage, cheese and mustard.  With the possible exception of that beetroot cake, I'm practically dribbling at the thought of all of them!