7 Annabel Karmel

We wouldn't be suprised to learn that this woman outsells Nigella, and it is easy to see why. In your darkest hour, when you are looking the prospect of weaning full on in the face having slept only four hours per night for the past four months, but have no idea where to begin, she will help you out with a series of recipe books on, basically, how to mush.

The most extravagant thing you have previously ever cooked may involve eggs and toast. But Annabel will take your hand and, like a fairy godmother, tell you exactly what to do. She will patiently explain exactly how to peel, chop, cook and puree a carrot. And an apple. And a pear. She will tell you when to give your baby a bottle of milk, which purees combine well with other purees. She will even tell you when to use a mouli, even if you still have no idea of what a mouli is.

In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need Annabel Karmel. We would be snug in close-knit communities of three generations of females, all helpfully showing each other how to breastfeed, and change nappies, and make purees and explaining just why you should quarter grapes. But we don’t. That is why we like her.