After being driven out of the village baby contest Worzel decides he wants his mum. The only person who can help him is the Crowman who deduces that a scarecrow called 'Sarah Pigswill’ was made from a row of turnips which, twelve months later, seeded Worzel. Technically making her Worzel’s mother. The wheels are set in motion and Worzel prepares for the arrival of his mother on his ‘bestest birthday'. Unfortunately, he soon realises that her idea of a birthday tea and his own are very different.

A letter is delivered to Scatterbrook but no one, save for John and Sue, recognise the name of the person it is addressed to - Worzel Gummidge. When they find him they discover the Crowman is fixing him up and therefore reads the letter for him. It is from ‘Dolly Clothes-Peg’ writing that she is coming to see Worzel on the ‘eleventy-twelve’ bus and that she is bringing a big cake for him. Unfortunately she spends all her money, including her bus fare, on the cake and so she has to walk to Scatterbrook. When she doesn’t arrive on the bus Worzel thinks she is not coming and becomes upset, but worse is yet to come...

The Crowman has dispatched pigeons to round up Aunt Sally and Worzel. When they arrive at his abode they discover why. He has heard about a cake fight the pair have had at the bishop’s tea party. He explains to them that due to their recent absenteeism they are both in bad books with their owners. The Crowman has therefore decided that the safest place for them is to stay with him until the fuss has died down. However, he wants them to both earn their keep with Worzel being his valet and Aunt Sally acting as parloir maid. Unfortunately, things don’t go the way the Crowman plans when it emerges that Aunt Sally is making Worzel do all the work.

Worzel cannot believe his ears when Aunt Sally accepts his proposal of marriage, but almost in the same breath he is rejected. He enlists the help of John and Sue and between them they discover that there are is another Aunt Sally in the village. The children are so worried about the effect this may have on Worzel that they tell the Crowman...

The Golden Hind, a new fish and chips shop has opened in the village. As usual Worzel is wandering about the village and is attracted by the smell. He is just about to enter the establishment when he meets the shop’s mascot, a ship’s figurehead called ‘Jolly Jack’. He explains what fish and chips are and reveals that he is a friend of Saucy Nancy. Once the coast is clear Jack takes Worzel inside the shop and they help themselves to as much food as they can carry. A little later Worzel bumps into Aunt Sally who, smelling the chips, decides she wants some. He stubbornly refuses to comply with her wishes and she goes off to find her own, ending up working at the Golden Hind and meeting Jolly Jack - will she find love ?

Ten Acre field is covered in flowers of all colours and sizes for Worzel’s 'bestest birthday'. This comes as no surprise to John and Sue who, over the previous weeks, have had to endure his many hints. They plan a surprise party and have also scraped all their savings together to buy him a gigantic birthday cake... but will it survive the attention of Aunt Sally ?