My Mum has arrived to stay, descending upon us with a pile of presents for me, and a large bottle of whisky for my husband ? clever lady! And, okay, so she brought me several boxes of dairy-free champagne truffles (hmmm, not healthy...) but she also brought me nutrition journals, a new brand of friendly bacteria and something called Xylitol. Xylitol is a fairly new natural sweetener that?s apparently low in calories, promotes healthy teeth and has a very low glycaemic index ? meaning that it doesn?t upset blood sugar levels. So although I now have about three months supply of chocolate, I also have lots of new healthy things to research ? I?ll keep you posted on all my findings!

Within 48 hours of being here, Mum has also introduced me to a whole new level of hygiene. Now don?t think I didn?t clean before she arrived ? I did, I cleaned for a week, I even cleaned the fire extinguisher and underneath the cutlery tray for God?s sake! But I came home from work today to find the kitchen drawers reorganised into something resembling order, the washing folded into beautifully neat piles and the dining table a totally different colour. I thought we had an old wooden table, apparently we just had a dirty wooden table. It?s just had the Softscrub equivalent of a facelift.

Now most of this is amazing ? she has after all, just popped her head round the door, to say that dinner is nearly ready and would I like a glass of wine? However, she has also declared most of the kitchen appliances ?extraordinary? and asked me how it is that my husband never has any matching socks (I don?t know! Ask him!) As if I weren?t already exasperated enough over the malfunction of my domesticity gene, Mum is having a near cardiac event whenever she opens the linen cupboard ? which contains an eclectic jumble of light bulbs, garden tools, Christmas decorations and a few lonely pillowcases. However, daunted as I may be, there is no doubt that her arrival in our house is a Good Thing. My husband is delighted because she keeps sneaking extras into the shopping basket (gin and tonic, bacon, cheese) and Jasper (our golden retriever) is over the moon to have another playmate, especially one that keeps slipping him treats!

Also, despite any reservations I may have about her domestic tips (?just suggestions, darling!?), unfortunately she is often right.

And readers, you benefit too ? I made Mum this celery soup, which she loved but couldn?t help perfecting.

Now as boring as celery soup sounds, this recipe is actually delicious ? with an intense flavour and a creamy consistency. It?s also extremely healthy for your heart. Celery contains something called 3-n-butyl phthalide, which has been shown to lower blood pressure. It also stimulates the production of bile acids, which actively helps to lower total cholesterol. So give it a try at the weekend ? I guarantee you?ll love it and you?ll feel very virtuous in the process!

Makes 6 generous servings

Ingredients:

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 large leeks, peeled, trimmed and chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

16 stems celery (organic if possible), trimmed and chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes (approximately!)

1 litre low sodium vegetable stock

? heaped tsp ground nutmeg (fresh or pre-ground)

? tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp olive oil

Pinch of black pepper

Method:

1. When preparing the celery, make sure that you remove any of the tough outer strings ? they should peel off easily.

2. Warm the olive oil and 1 tbsp water in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion, leeks, garlic and celery. Stir and reduce the heat to low. Cover and allow the vegetables to ?sweat? for 3 minutes.

3. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock, bring to the boil.

4. Reduce the heat. Stir in the nutmeg, ginger and black pepper. Cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.

5. After 20 minutes, or when the vegetables (especially the potatoes) are cooked through, take off the heat and leave to cool.

6. When cooler, you can blend the soup. I prefer this soup totally smooth, but it is up to you! You may need to blend this in batches.

7. Reheat gently but DO NOT allow to boil - this ruins the consistency.

8. Serve with warm wholegrain rolls and top quality hummus.