Top 8 treats for your mum on Mother's Day
In a perfect world we would make her favourite cake or tart, and serve it with aplomb on a pretty plate with a napkin, and her choice of tea, coffee or a glass of wine or cordial.
I was spoilt for choice when I went shopping, as bakeries have improved hugely in their offerings.
It’s well worth seeking them out and asking ahead what they will have in and place an order.
If hosting a party and you are short on time, Bite Size does delicious mini treats, sweet and savoury — www.bitesize.ie
You can also order 22 types of bite-sized treats from www.marksandspencer.com and pick them up at your nearest branch.
Think about a simple salad for lunch before the sweet treats.
I was impressed that two weeks ago Marks & Spencer had good Dublin-grown lettuce available.
Mix it with a few rocket leaves and dress simply with a drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of fresh lemon and top with pared parmesan and, if you can run to it, a few slices of cold, cooked rare, beef fillet, drizzled with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar.
Today’s samples don’t warrant giving marks to as they are so different, but nothing appears here that isn’t worthy of the most important woman in your life.
Thinking of you, Mum.
From a superb selection, which includes a vegan chocolate cupcake (€2.95), this Pasteis de Nata’s creamy custard filling sits in excellent crisp pastry.
Just as nice are a creamy Spanish custard tart (€1.50), vibrant lemon sabayon tart (€2.50), and a substantial raspberry clafoutis (€2.50) you cannot go wrong here.
From the shop in Clonakilty and online www.lettercollum.ie
From an amazing selection of sumptuous treats, these are luxury on a plate. The chocolate mousse, pictured above, is light and creamy and sits on a biscuity base.
A brioche filled with sweet cream and strawberry jam, and a chocolate and passion fruit mousse in flaky pastry are irresistible.
From the Carrigaline shop and English Market, Cork stall.
A box with two plastic tumblers has attractively layered crumbed shortbread at the bottom, then caramel sauce, then caramel flavoured mousse topped with a thick chocolate ganache.
Old fashionedly decadent. There is also a boxed apple tarte tatin, a pair of doughtnuts, a pair of eclairs and mini ‘posh profiteroles’.
Two in a box makes a nice gift or can serve as an easy dessert or afternoon tea treat.
The chocolate pudding has a salted caramel centre and is topped with more caramel for the sweet-toothed. One is enough for two people. Must be microwaved to heat up.
Known to many in Cork as Donkey’s Gudge, this sizeable block of cake is made from all the leftovers in a bakery — bread/cakecrumbs, fruit, sugar syrup and butter to bring it all together.
This one is deliciously mildly spiced with ginger and a little cinnamon and nutmeg — it varies depending on what is already in the crumbs.
Topped with icing, it is a good one for after a long Mother’s Day hike. Will appeal to a mum who enjoys a little nostalgia. From the English market, Cork, bread stall.
A decent amount of plum sits on a bed of almonds inside delicious pastry.
This English Market stall also does other tartlets, very good cheesecakes, light moussy cakes — I nearly bought a Toblerone one. A lovely, light hand at work here.
For the mother who doesn’t like creamy textures, this sizeable oatmeal slice, spiked with apricots, has plenty of fibre as well as flavour.
A lovely treat for breakfast instead of porridge. There are other wholesome treats too from the Paul Street, Cork and Pierhead, Blackrock, Cork, shops and in the Fitzgerald’s Park café.
While not as obviously decadent as our other ideas, good quality yoghurts such as this, and from a wide range by Glenilen, make a great start to Mother’s Day.
Serve in an attractive glass or try making some pancakes and using it as a filling, or added to porridge or granola.
