Mother's Day celebration planning

Mother’s Day is Sunday March 15^th and with three generations of mums in my family, it is true cause to celebrate. I thought that this year it would be fun to host a special lunch with home cooked food rather than heading out to a restaurant. Spring is almost here and it is a time of year for wonderful, fresh produce to make a menu that everyone will enjoy.

Mustn't forget drinks too and as a treat, a glass of bubbly to go with the Mother’s Day feast. If you’re on a budget you can find offers in supermarkets like Tesco and look for a cheap champagne or even have a sparkling grape juice or a big pot of tea on the go. Just tea and cake would be a great option and just as lovely if you are short on time.

For my meal and with bunches of early carrots available, a carrot and coriander soup would make a great starter, warming for the cold bite that is still in the early spring air. Simple ingredients but absolutely one of my favourites. Adding a swirl of crème fraiche makes a creamy, delicious soup, perfect for dipping a chunk of crusty bread into.

As a light main course, a crustless quiche is an easy recipe that you can add plenty of tasty early season vegetables to.  My dad’s brown hens are happily laying huge eggs again now the days are getting longer so Little Bird and I can go collect them and then create lunch with them. This time of year I would add spring onions or leeks with tomatoes to the mixture, plenty of scrummy cheese and fresh herbs. Served with a side salad and potatoes this is a tasty option for the month of March.

A homemade cake, baked from the heart is a lovely finish. Iced in pink frosting, for pink goes hand in hand with Mothering Sunday and it is both my mum’s and my nan’s favourite colour. My other speciality is a rhubarb and custard cake as of course early rhubarb will be sweet and ready to harvest from my allotment; such an easy recipe where you layer the roasted rhubarb and custard with the vanilla cake mixture. You must try it, a divine bake to have with a cup of tea in a pretty floral china cup.

Every year I buy both my Mum and Nana pink carnations, that’s our tradition, frilly pink petals for glass vases – a sight that reminds me of my childhood and buying them with my pocket money from our local florist. Last year I noticed that many of the flower shops were selling little posies in coloured glass jars, such a sweet idea and one you could even make yourself with an old jam jar, some daffodils or tulips from the garden and a piece of pretty ribbon tied around the rim. Hopefully I will be treated to some plants for the garden again as we did that last Mother’s Day and I had a longer lasting flowers in my window boxes and planters.

I’m so glad to be a mum, makes it feel so special when my little boy hands me a card that he has done some crayoning in and gives me a huge hug. Just spending the day with the two wonderful ladies in my life is a treasure in itself, I am very lucky indeed.

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Mother's Day picture from Shutterstock

Rose cupcakes from Shutterstock