Mother's Day

Easy Mother's Day recipes

Essentially this is Mother's Day, so she's the one to get the special treatment from everyone else. Even little ones can help set a tray, pick a flower, or choose a fruit juice for a special breakfast in bed.

Keep the celebrations fresh and simple - it will make things easier for you to do and easier for her to enjoy. Stock up on a bottle of champagne, a box of chocolates and, as a special treat, some beautiful smoked salmon (you can use it in the special chive bread recipe, above).

Don't let Mother's Day end as soon as you've done the breakfast dishes - it's called 'Mother's Day', not 'Mother's Morning'. Besides, some mums don't like breakfast in bed and would much rather be up and about doing things - like going to see their mother, too, for Mother's Day. So it might be better to plan a simple family lunch or a special dinner that shows her just how much she is appreciated and loved.

The idea is to give her a break from the normal everyday slog, and to let her know just how much you appreciate everything she does. You may also make her realise how lucky she is to have such a nice family!

• Chive bread with smoked salmon
• Maple-roast pork
• Roast lamb rump with spring onion mash
• Chocolate and pear pudding
• Rhubarb sponge pudding

Breakfast in bed

If your mum is the sort who'd relish the idea of a relaxing breakfast in bed, here are five instant Mother's Day ideas to try:

• Give an edible present: buy a special honey or jam, and have it prettily wrapped on her tray as her very first Mother's Day gift - with lots of hot toast on the side.
• Croissants for all: buy fresh, buttery croissants, split them, fill with sliced gruyère or jarslberg cheese, and sliced ham or prosciutto, and lightly warm them in a moderate oven.
• Breakfast in a glass: fill a glass tumbler with layers of natural yoghurt and sliced bananas tossed with passionfruit pulp, and top with crunchy toasted muesli.
• The smoothie option: place the following in a blender - two soft pitted medjool dates, one tablespoon of porridge oats, 100g/3½oz natural yoghurt, one tablespoon honey, one chopped banana and 100ml/3½fl oz apple or orange juice. Blend with a handful of ice until smooth, and serve with a straw.
• Little egg-and-ham pies: line the moulds of a large muffin tray with sliced ham, crack an egg inside each one, top with salt, freshly ground black pepper and grated cheese. Bake at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for 20 minutes until set.

Sit-down family dinner

If you're planning a special sit-down dinner, get yourself organised so you don't have to be in the kitchen all night.

• Don't attempt too much: my advice is to skip the first course and go straight to the main course with a fabulous fruity pudding to follow.
• Plan the menu: you can mix and match the recipes to suit. The Maple-cured pork chop and the Rhubarb sponge pudding will be the quickest to do, but you could match the pork chop with the spring onion mash as well if you like. You could also make the Chocolate and pear pudding without the pears, or make the Rhubarb sponge pudding with tart cooking apples instead of rhubarb.
• Get organised: do what the celebrity chefs do when they cook on television - put everything you need for each course on a different tray, so it's to hand.
• Get ahead: marinate the chops an hour or more ahead, and make up the mustard mayonnaise. Prepare the lamb rumps and have them tied into shape and ready to roast. Poach the pears for the chocolate pudding beforehand – even the day before. You can make up the batter for the Rhubarb sponge pudding and get it ready to go into the oven before the meal, then pop it in the oven when you sit down to the main course.

Setting the scene

You don't need to bring out the best china and cloths to set a pretty table. A few fresh flowers or a bunch of herbs are all that's needed - instead of one in the centre, do a little shot glass of flowers or herbs in front of each place setting. Tie the napkins together with a silky ribbon.

Wine tips

Instead of a boozy cocktail, go for a more sophisticated aperitif - such as a beautiful glass of sparkling wine, perhaps with a dash of berry liqueur.

The sweetness and smoky paprika notes of the Maple-cured pork will go well with a New World Shiraz, especially one from Australia. The gentle flavours of the lamb rump, teamed with the mild spring onions and light acidity of the roasted cherry tomatoes would be well-suited by a velvety Pinot Noir, either a fruity New Zealand style or a Burgundy from France.