Mama expands her operations to the great outdoors. We do hope she washes her hands before she re-enters the kitchen...

Attention all Alan Titchmarsh admirers! The multi-talented Mama of Cooking Mama fame is dropping her whisk and collinder to move into the wonderful world of portable gardening.

Gardening Mama sees the core gameplay of the Cooking Mama series, which was the preparation and completion of a recipe followed in several stages, mixed up a bit and broken up into shorter, bite-size and more accessible minigames. You'll be using the touch-screen to dig holes, mix fertilisers and plant seeds and ultimately grow your own produce. We'd also imagine that Mama's suddenly inexplicable terrifying transformation into a disciple of Lucifer when you accidentally crush one of her rhododendrons will also be present.

"I'm confident that players will take great delight in growing plants and vegetables alongside Mama," says Kazuhiro Ohara, Creative Director, Cooking Mama Ltd. "I hope that players will be inspired to grow real flowers at home after enjoying the experience so much."

The Cooking Mama franchise has sold 1.6 million copies to date in Europe, with the first game being the biggest-selling third party title on the DS ever. We can only imagine the green-fingered jollyness this new installment will instill upon us when it launches in Spring 2009.