(Don't) take your mama out this Mother's Day
Mother's Day product has always seemed a bit uninspired. Cards generally feature wispy watercolour illustrations of spring flowers or even worse, exhort mums to 'relax' or 'put your feet up' like one day off from doing your washing is the greatest gift you can give the woman who gave you life. Mind you, the ones for Father's day are just as bad for gender stereotyping.
Perhaps the day we see Mother's Day cards featuring pints, golf clubs and farting we'll know the battle for equality has been won.
Gifts can be even trickier. To be fair, mums are partly to blame as they always say things like, 'The best present would just be to see you', which does save quite a bit of money but you suspect is not fully true. Also for many people, it's impossible to enact this year.
So our suggestion is to treat your mum to a little something something from your favourite independent. That way you know you are supporting a business (maybe even one run by a mum) through lockdown and showing your mum you care. That's what she really wants and if it means cake and/or cured meats delivered to her door, well that's not a problem either.
What: Abeja Tapas board-in-a-box
How much: From £38 (or £22 tapas only)
Delivery: Click here to order with nationwide delivery, or you can arrange to pick up in Chorlton
Teeny tapas bar Abeja - which normally lives at Hatch - has designed the board-in-a-box, a taste of the Spanish drinking and snacking tradition. It's all sourced from independent suppliers in owner Ana's home town of Granada. Each box is packed with all the gourmet goodness you'd expect from Abeja: a choice of wine, Cava or Sangria, a sharing board, olives, sesame flatbreads, extra-virgin olive oil, handmade chocolates and a hand-tied bouquet of dried flowers with a personalised message to tell your mama te quiero.
What: Atlas Bar Mother's Day Gin Experience
How much: £25
Delivery: UK from £4.94
Ah bars, we bet your mum is missing them too. If she is of a certain age, she may have had a few cheeky nights out at the Atlas Bar so this gin set potentially packs a double hit of nostalgia. As well as alcohol of course.
The pack includes four double gins: City of London Murcian Orange, Jin-Dea Single Estate Tea Gin, Ungava Canadian Gin and McQueen Raspberry and Vanilla Gin. These are accompanied by four premium tonics and botanicals for the perfect serve. There's a virtual tasting that you and/or mum can join on 13 or 14 March.
What: Batter & Crumb brownie boxes
How much: from £12
Delivery: postage is from £4.89 per box across the UK, there are also local collection options on the website
Batter & Crumb deliver classic gooey brownies and if you or your mum fancy stepping away from the traditional chocolate then there are Oreo, cherry and salted caramel versions to consider. But if you really want to show her your appreciation fully, then the brownie subscription service is the way to go. Any treat delivered through the letterbox once a month is welcome right now.
What: Mother's Day selection from Elnecot
How much: £80
Delivery: Collection from Elnecot on March 12 or 13
Hitting the sweet spot somewhere between a rustically substantial afternoon tea and a seriously luxurious picnic, this box from Elnecot features scones, clotted cream, berry jam, cheese, chutney, piccalilli, smoked salmon, pate, cured meats, sourdough bread, brownies and more. We recommend getting this one if you live with your mum because she probably deserves it after the last year or so, and there is so much she might share some of it with her beloved offspring. Worth moving back in for.
What: Box of 15 macarons from English Rose Bakery
How much: £16
Delivery: £6 in the UK
We've been following English Rose for a while now for their exceptionally creative take on the macaron (Great British Bakers sit down, you've got nothing on these guys). The geode macarons, designed to look like crystals, are especially stunning. There's also a Mother's Day box with a heart-shaped cake but you could probably persuade them to do something wild (leopard-print macarons anyone?) with enough notice.
What: Herd NQ Roast Box
How much: £75 for two
Delivery: collect from Herd on Saturday 13 March
If you normally take your mum out for a slap-up Sunday dinner then this roast box might make the ideal substitute. With French onion soup, Pollen bread and bone marrow butter, rump joint, Yorkshire puds, cauliflower cheese and triple-cooked roasties plus a sticky toffee pudding it will certainly recreate the experience. You could order one for yourself and have a Zoom family Sunday lunch. Is that a thing yet?
What: Konoba Mother's Day meal kit
How much: £30 per person
Delivery: Free delivery within 30 miles of Altrincham
Konoba is a private, bespoke catering company that has recently branched out into deliveries. Inspired by Croatian cookery, the Mother's Day meal kit features braised leek bruschetta, twice-baked soufflé, smoked chilli chicken with whipped feta, and rhubarb and sweet geranium pavlova. It can be adjusted to be vegetarian or vegan if needed. Order by emailing hello@konoba.co.uk with your order, address and any special dietary requirements.
What: Mother's Day treats from The Palms Bakery
How much: from £13 plus delivery
Delivery: nationwide for the treat box, collection only for other options
The Palms Bakery stands out for its psychedelic, colour-saturated aesthetic - no drippy, pastel-pink concoctions here (unless you team pink with a burst of clashing red of course). This is one for mums who appreciate the brighter side of life. Its shag cakes have been all over Instagram lately.
The Mother's Day treat box contains a Victoria sponge cake pot, pistachio and olive oil brownie, lemon and poppy seed cake slice and a white chocolate millionaires cookie bar. The bento box cakes can be made up with personalised messages. Alternatively, the blood orange chocolate loaf cake looks impressive and is suitable for vegans too.
What: Sicilian NQ Mother's Day Gifts
How much: from £20
Delivery: Can deliver locally or pick up
Maybe your mum has a fondness for the magical island of Sicily with its charming ruins and sunny lemon groves. Or maybe she just likes to get her booze on and plough through cannoli. Either way Sicilian NQ has got her covered. You can get the Two Sicilies box with limoncello, rum baba and cannollicchi, or swap out the baba for a Sicilian Life cocktail in the Booze & Sweet box.
What: Silver Apples Mother's Day Afternoon Tea
How much: £35.95 for two
Delivery: across the UK
You've probably tasted Silver Apples cakes quite a few times without realising it. The award-winning bakery previously only supplied to restaurants and cafes but took the opportunity during lockdown to go online and start delivering all sorts of goodies, including this afternoon tea for Mother's day.
The usual suspects of scones, clotted cream and jam are joined by macarons, chocolate orange and ginger hearts, earl grey and lemon cake, brownies and, of course, the necessary tea. Still, if you think that is not liquid refreshment enough you can add in some fizz for an extra £29.95.
