The winners of this year's Seeds of Change photography competition sung out loud and clear. In short, the images were stunning. Although there were literally thousands of entries, the award-winning pictures took the judges' breath away with their originality, quality and humour.
The overall winner - Ikuko Tsuchiya's jaw-droppingly beautiful 'Widow in Her Kitchen' was an exploration of the relationship between human creative practices and healing. The subject, the recently bereaved Mrs Hobbs, (her husband's jacket is still on the coat hook) has baked cakes for over 60 years. 'It has become part of her being' says Ikuko. For her, cooking is one of the most important aspects of the healing process.
Photographer and judge Harry Borden said: 'It is lit like a Renaissance painting. The woman seems to exist in a bygone era of Britain evoking images of Picture Post. I admire its lack of pretension and feel it is much more profound than the other photographs.'
As to the controversial 'Jelly Babies' picture that won the Food Glorious Food section I can only say that it made me laugh out loud. Presumably winner John Roberts had a delicious time at the casting session.
As a rule, we tend to go out to eat the things we can't be arsed to make at home - fish and chips (deep frying. No way!), pizza ('you really think I'm going to knead pizza dough when I come in from work?') and curries that we assume take an age to prepare. As I am on holiday this month, we are featuring our favourite recipes from a great new book - Curry - instead, including a lamb dish from Rajasthan and gorgeous recipes from Thailand. Even our flocked-wallpaper-style chicken tikka masala gets a look in.
My guess is that curry is probably the last meal you would go for when having an affair - Balti breath being a bit a passion killer. So just where do you go for that discreet dinner à deux? This month we have assembled our definitive list of kiss-and-don't-tell places you might like to put in your little black book. Not that we are trying to put ideas in your heads. Novelist Stephanie Merritt and Professor John Sutherland reveal the story beyond the rise and rise of the affair restaurant.
We also have a my-life-on-a-plate memoir by Alexander McCall Smith who recalls breakfasts in the bush as a child in Botswana and freshly caught scallops on Jura this summer. The author of The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency argues that fruitcake and tea are two of the best things to eat and drink in the world. And I am certainly not going to argue with that.
· Nigel Slater's TV series A Taste of My Life, continues this Saturday at 11.30am on BBC 1
