Mother’s Day last year was the very first event that we spent in lockdown. I remember, during the first few weeks, walking past closed pubs with signs for Mother’s Day roasts and free prosecco deals for weeks.
As we roll around to another Mother’s Day in lockdown and with pub doors still shut for now, sons and daughters are going to have to get creative once again for the day dedicated to mums and mother figures.
As ever, let’s all try support independent businesses.
Food
So, you can’t take your mum out for a meal just yet but at least there are more at-home options compared to last year including roast deliveries, afternoon tea and brunch boxes.
Afternoon tea
Nibble NQ has a range meal boxes which can be delivered across the UK. The afternoon tea box includes herby cheese scones and sweet scones with clotted cream, lemon curd and compote, mini quiches, sausage rolls, brownies with creme egg, Turkish delight and beetroot fudge, banana bread, treacle tart flapjacks and rhubard crumble cake.
The box costs £30 and deliveries are on Friday 12 March. There’s also a vegan version, plus a ‘breakfast in bed’ box and cake boxes too. Order here.
Other afternoon tea boxes on offer are from Grand Pacific MCR (starting from £19 per person), Propeller Coffee in Sale, Tea Hive in Chorlton and an East meets West afternoon tea from Backyard Bakes (with Desi snacks, cakes and scones).
Sunday roast
So we’ve had afternoon tea, now for the other classic Mother’s Day meal – the Sunday Roast.
Albert Schloss has announced they are delivering three-course Mother’s Day Sunday lunches, with a choice of Cheshire chicken supreme, roast Lancashire beef, slow cooked porchetta or pumpkin, beetroot and lentil wellington for mains, plus a choice of starter and dessert. They can be ordered here.
Other Sunday roast deliveries in Manchester include Edinburgh Castle, Cibus, Don Giovanni, Sam’s Chop House and Trof.
Dinner
If you’d normally go out for a nice meal with your mum, then delivering her a takeaway or meal kit might be the closest you’ll get this Mother’s Day.
Some new cook-at-home options that you might not have tried yet include Tattu‘s new sharing menu which includes a selection of their most popular dishes and Nell’s new ‘grandma style’ bake-at-home pizzas for a more budget-friendly option. Rudy’s are also doing Mother’s Day Bundles which include pizzas, desserts, and drinks.
Pasta Factory has also created a lasagna kit especially for Mother’s Day, with their fresh pasta sheet, traditional beef ragu, bechamel and parmesan.
Hampers
Whether sending it to someone you can’t be with, or enjoying it together as an outdoor picnic, a hamper full of goodies is a wonderful gift.
We’re a big fan of Abeja Tapas Bar’s board-in-a-box hampers which include a choice of wine, Cava or Sangria, a sharing board (with meat, cheese or both), olives, sesame flatbreads, extra-virgin olive oil, handmade chocolates, hand-tied bouquet of dried flowers and a personalised message. Order them here.
Eat Well MCR’s luxury weekend hamper includes bagels to boil and bake at home, smoked salmon, eggs, apple juice and milk all from local small producers. There’s also a bottle of natural fizz. Profits fund meals for vulnerable people in Manchester, including many mothers sheltering with their children in temporary accommodation. Available to order for shipping across the UK if your mum isn’t Manchester based. Order here.
Elnecot have created a special Mother’s Day selection including homemade scones and miso caramel brownies made by Elnecot, as well as other products from local companies including smoked salmon and paté from Manchester Smokehouse, Companio Bakery sourdough, three cheeses from The Crafty Cheese Man. The Elnecot box also includes a 20% discount voucher for when they reopen.
You can also order hampers from traders at Altrincham Market by emailing order@marketoperations.co.uk who will send through all the information.
Vouchers
As we approach reopening, many restaurants are now beginning to take bookings for diners from 12 April outside and from 17 May inside. And, another way of supporting these places ahead of the reopening is by buying a voucher.
Most restaurants will do vouchers for you, so it’s just a case of picking one your mum will love and giving them a call.
Sweet treats
If your mother figure has a sweet tooth, there are plenty of small bakery businesses in Manchester to support this Mother’s Day.
For whole cakes there’s the shaggy cakes from The Palms Bakery and floral cakes from Eve In the Oven.
Manchester Brownie Box are doing brownies with edible flowers, there’s the Mother’s Day edition box from Get Yer Macaron and a Mother’s Day cake collab between Pollard Yard neighbours, Loaf Manchester and Cocoa and Bloom. Sam’s Bakehouse is doing cannoli treat boxes, there are cake hampers from All Day Cake, cupcake boxes from Little Moon Bakery and Mother’s Day sweet treat boxes from Sweet Chorlton with cupcakes, mallow pops and cookie sandwiches.
Drinks
If your mum is more of a liquid lunch kinda gal, there is plenty of great drinks and experiences you can get delivered for Mother’s Day.
Wine
Grape to Grain is hosting one of their regular virtual wine tastings on the day itself with a Mother’s Day / International Women’s Day theme. It’s all about celebrating women as all the wines are from female wine makers and each ticket includes a donation to women’s charities. Wines can be ordered in 100ml tasters, 500ml carafes or full bottles. Link to book is here.
Other brilliant wine shops in Manchester include Le Social in Pollard Yard, Isca in Levenshulme, Salut in the city centre and Reserve in Didsbury.
Gin
Ah the old Mother’s ruin – a great gift for mums and plenty of Manchester distillers to choose from including the new Prestwich Gin, which launched at the end of last year. It’s a small batch gin made in Prestwich with 12 natural botanicals.
Other local distillers include Manchester Gin, Didsbury Gin, Four Sis4ers, Thomas Dakin, Manchester Three Rivers, Worsley Gin and Zymogorium
Gifts
If you’re looking for a gift of the non-edible kind, why not take the opportunity of Mother’s Day to support some small Manchester makers with an order.
Ceramics
We love the small-batch ceramics by Grace and Greene Clayworks like beautiful mugs, vases, bowls and plant hangers. You can shop all the products on their website here.
Flowers
Of course, no Mother’s Day guide would be complete without flowers in what must be one of the busiest days of the year for florists. So, if you’re looking to bag yourself a beautiful bunch, it’s time to get those orders in.
Northern Flower are doing special Mother’s Day bouquets, and Frog also has a specific Mother’s Day themed blooms in bouquets, hat boxes and under glass cloches.
There’s also Glass House, Northern Lights Home, Verdure Flowers, Luv Floristry and Olive and Wild.
