Why I don't subscribe to Mother's Day.

For most, Mother's Day signals its time to blow the lint off our 'savings' and splash out on gifts for our mums and grandmas. Our Lifestyle editor, Lisa, isn't so sure. To her, it's not about what you spend that counts - it's the effort behind it that matters.

Mother’s Day: The only day of the year we are allowed to show affection for our mums, or a great holiday that has become over-commercialised?

Either way - to me, it’s not worth all the effort that some companies try to make us all think it is. The email reminders calling for people to ‘not forget Mother’s day this year’ and ‘show your mum how much you love her’ start weeks before the big day. It’s just too much.

Every year brands cash in on trying to persuade consumers that they need to shell out hundreds of pounds to reassure our mums that we value how they raised us into normal citizens. 

No-one should spend all their money on an iPad in an attempt to show her that they care on one day out of 365. Instead, she should already know how lost they would be without her because she has been showered with hugs, appreciative texts and appreciates the effort spent to make time for her throughout the year. It’s effort that counts, not the price tag.

Cue Jessie J. It's not about the price tag...

For some reason card shops think that we need a specific day to show our mums how much we love them. It's as though, surely we can only express how thankful we are to one of the people that raised us in one 24-hour period. And we can only express this by buying a card, overpriced flowers and maybe even a box of chocolates. It may be cynical to suggest that this day is a way of tiding over the profits of gift and card shops from Valentine’s Day to Easter, but that’s really all it is.

While Mothering Sunday is a good excuse to make the journey home and spend the day dedicated to being with family, that doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t go home at other parts of the year as well.

In the first few years of University when you’ve just flown the nest for the first time it can be hard on a parent, but that should prompt semi-regular visits home, plus calls and texts rather than using a commercialised holiday to force you home.

After all, a mum is for life – not just for Mother’s day.

If you want an easy and cheap way to wow mum this Mother's day, take a look at our breakfast in bed recipes.

What's the nicest thing that you've done for mum?

Give mum breakfast in bed

OK, so we admit we'll probably end up dashing to the shops on Saturday night, hoping there's a card left for us in time for Mother's Day. If you're as last minute as we are, you'll be relieved to know there's a chance for us all to redeem ourselves on Sunday morning. Our very own Nigella, Emily Robinson, has listed three quick, easy and cheap breakfast ideas to make mum breakfast in bed (if you can get up early enough). 

With Mothering Sunday a few days away, it is very likely that a few of you are panicking about what to do to treat your mum. Let’s face it: it’s can be a pot-luck heading to the local shops to see what is left of the flower arrangements this close to the day itself, and with most of the boxed chocolates having been replaced by Easter treats, you may be a bit stuck for options. So why not show her how much you care with one of our selection of homemade breakfast ideas, created to show her just how much she means? I have created three simple breakfast ideas without even having to venture to the shops, so there’s no need to worry: just tie those apron strings and get cooking.

Unlike the haphazard breakfasts-in-bed that my brother and I used to whip up on Mother’s day, these recipes are easy enough to make on the morning itself, to give your mum a truly welcome surprise when she wakes up.

Greek yoghurt with easy granola

Ingredients:

·         1½ tsp of vegetable oil

·         1½ tsp of maple syrup

·         A few drops of vanilla extract

·         150g porridge oats

·         Handful of chopped walnuts

·         ½ tsp of ground cinnamon

·         About 4-5 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt (plain or flavoured, whatever you prefer)

Method

1. To make the granola, pre-heat the oven to a low temperature, around 150ºC/Gas Mark 2.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the oil, syrup and vanilla extract until well combined, then mix in the oats, walnuts and cinnamon, making sure that everything is well coated.

3.Spread the mixture out onto a small baking tray, and bake in the oven for around 30 minutes, or until the mixture is golden brown and quite dry to the touch.

5. Put the yoghurt in a bowl, and mix in any flavouring you might want (I stirred in 1 tsp of clear honey, but you can add dried or fresh fruit, nuts, etc).

6. Sprinkle a healthy amount of the granola on top of the yoghurt, and you’re done.

Stewed apple porridge

Ingredients:

·         1 tsp of butter

·         2 eating apples (I used galas)

·         1½ tsp of ground ginger

·         2 tsp of sugar (brown is better, but any will do)

·         50g of porridge oats

·         200ml of whole milk

Method:

1. To make the stewed apples, start by peeling one of the apples (leaving the skin on one will give a nice texture to them), then coring both and chopping them into roughly 1-2cm cubes (it’s nice to have a bit of a variation in the size of the chunks, so some bits melt in your mouth, and others give a bit of a crunch).

2. Put the butter, ginger, apples, and sugar into a small saucepan, and heat on a medium heat for 5 minutes until the apples start to soften.

3. Pour in enough water to cover the bottom of the saucepan by about 1-2cm, and turn the heat to low. Stew the apples for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, and topping up the water if the bottom of the pan becomes too dry.

4. Meanwhile, make the porridge. Mix together the oats and milk in a bowl, then heat in the microwave on high for 3 minutes (keep an eye on it! – although I am an advocate of the microwave porridge method, you have to be careful to make sure it doesn’t boil over and create a huge mess).

5. When the 3 minutes are up, take the porridge out of the microwave and stir it, and heat again on high for another minute, or until it’s at a preferred consistency.

6.Once it’s ready, stir through half of the apples, top with the rest, and serve.

Classic scrambled eggs with maple-bacon

Ingredients:

·         2 rashers of unsmoked bacon (streaky is better, but back bacon works well too)

·         1 tbsp of maple syrup

·         1 tsp of caster sugar

·         2 eggs

·         Milk

·         1 slice of bread

Method:

1. Trim the fat from the bacon then cut into about 6 even-sized strips. Sprinkle the sugar over the bacon, making sure it is evenly covered then pour over the maple syrup, cover and allow to marinate for about 15-20 minutes in the fridge.

2. In a jug, whisk together the eggs with a splash of milk (a wise friend of mine once told me 1 capful of milk per egg is pretty much perfect, for some reason) and season.

3. When the bacon is ready, heat a small saucepan on a low heat and a frying pan on a medium heat. Add a small splash of oil to each pan.

4. Once the oil is heated, add the bacon to the frying pan, and fry on one side for about 3-4 minutes to get a good caramelisation around the edge.

5. Flip the bacon, and add the eggs to the saucepan.

6. Leave the eggs for about 30 seconds to start cooking, and put the bread on to toast.

7. After 30 seconds, stir the eggs, and keep stirring until they are cooked through, and there are no uncooked parts.

8.Butter the toast and arrange all the elements on a plate.

Nothing beats bacon... except maple-bacon.

Enjoy!

Did you make any these tasty treats for your mum? Let us know what you thought.