Mother’s Day lunch inspo

Mother’s Day lunch sorted from the Mod Fam Food kitchen

It’s Mother’s day tomorrow, and if like many of my buddies you’ve been desperately seeking inspiration for a great family lunch, I’ve come up with a spring menu which nails the style factor and is hassle free to boot. Take a peek below for my easy to follow recipe for spring lamb, minted crushed new potatoes, mouthwatering salads and creamy Panna cotta.

mother's day

Spiced Spring lamb with Pomegranate dressing

This lamb is full of flavour but quick and easy to prepare. Make sure you marinate the lamb for at least 1 hour before you are ready to start cooking.

mother's day

You will need…

4 Lamb loins, allow 200g/ serving

For the marinade…

4 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground allspice

Salt and pepper

 

For the dressing…

4 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp Pomegranate molasses

1 tbsp water

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp clear honey

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground allspice

Salt and pepper

Pomegranate seeds

Serves 4

mother's day

Here’s what to do… 

  1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together spread over the lamb and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge.
  2. Heat a little oil in a griddle pan, and cook each loin for 2 minutes each side until browned.
  3. Place in an ovenproof dish and heat in the oven (180C) for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to rest.
  4. Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing.
  5. Slice the lamb on an angle, plate up, drizzle with the dressing and scatter with pomegranate seeds.

mother's daySlate serving platter from John Lewis – similar here, napkins House of Fraser although I also love all these fab coloured napkins from Designers Guild

Tips…

Marinade the lamb and prepare the dressing ahead of time so that you are all prepared when cooking begins.

The spiced Lamb is great cooked on a barbeque if weather permits!

Serve with Minted crushed new potatoes. Simply mix 1tbsp mint jelly, a dollop of butter and a handful of chopped mint leaves into cooked crushed new potatoes. A perfect accompaniment to lamb.

mother's dayBowl from Kelly Hoppen

For an alternative, use a 1.6kg shoulder of lamb (bone in), marinade, cover with foil and cook 140C for 3 hours. Remove foil and cook for a further 30 mins to brown. To serve, remove any excess fat and drizzle with dressing.

mother's day

Fennel, Pomegranate and Feta Salad

The aniseed flavour and crunch from the fennel combined with the zesty lemon juice and creamy texture of the Feta makes a salad made in heaven!

mother's day

mother's day

You will need…

2 large fennel bulbs, thinly sliced

80g pomegranate seeds

70g feta cheese

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

Handful chopped flat-leafed parsley

Serves 4

mother's day

Here’s what to do…

  1. Mix the fennel, seeds, lemon juice, olive oil and parsley together in a bowl and season to taste.
  2. Crumble, and scatter the feta cheese on top and serve.

mother's day

Tips…

Try adding slices of orange and substitute the lemon for orange juice for an alternative flavour.

Prepare ahead but just add the lemon juice to the fennel mixture, and the remaining dressing when ready to serve.

mother's day

Cucumber Salad

Ribbons of cucumber served with a sesame and ginger dressing produces a salad packed full of flavour!

mother's day

You will need…

mother's day

1 Large cucumber

Chopped stems from a handful of coriander

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp honey

½ tsp sesame seed oil

½ tsp soy sauce

Juice of 1 Lime

10 radishes, thinly sliced

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Salt and pepper

Serves 4

mother's dayCheese plane from John Lewis

mother's day

Here’s what to do…

  1. Slice the cucumber lengthways, discarding the middle of the cucumber where the seeds are (as this can be a little soggy).
  2. Put the sesame seeds and radishes aside and mix all remaining ingredients together to form the dressing.
  3. Place the cucumber ribbons on a serving plate, toss in the radish slices, drizzle with the dressing and scatter with the sesame seeds

mother's dayI’ve taken to decanting some of my ingredients into cute bottles and jars to bring a pop of colour to my cooking prep – this cute blue one is from the Kilner range

mother's day

Tips…

Try substituting chopped spring onions for the radishes.

Prepare ahead but do not add dressing until ready to serve.

 

Raspberry Pana Cotta

Phew – are you still with me? I should have warned you to buckle in for a long one… last but not least we have creamy Pana Cotta served with a zingy raspberry coulis, a perfect end to any meal!

mother's day

You will need…

425ml whipping cream

425ml Greek yogurt

75g caster sugar

16g powdered gelatine

150g frozen raspberries

70g caster sugar

Fresh raspberries and mint leaves to serve

Serves 6

mother's day

Here’s what to do…

  1. Mix the gelatine powder with 4 tbsp of the whipping cream to form a smooth paste.
  2. Heat the remaining whipping cream in a saucepan with the sugar until all the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat.
  3. Add the gelatine paste to the cream, whisking until smooth.
  4. Place the Greek yogurt in a mixing bowl and add the cream mixture, passing it through a sieve, mixing well.
  5. Heat the frozen raspberries over a low heat until soft, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Liquidize with a hand blender until smooth.
  6. Place a little coulis in the base of each serving glass, top with the panna cotta and refrigerate for a few hours to set.
  7. Serve with fresh raspberries and mint.

mother's day

mother's day

mother's day

Tips…

Prepare up to a day ahead.

Can be served in tiny glasses, to incorporate into a canape menu.

Try substituting raspberries for any other berry of your choice.

Locate interesting cups/bowls/dishes/glasses that you can serve the panna cotta in, a great way to wow your guests! I used these LSA International table vases – check out some more of their range which can be used for different things here via John Lewis.

 

Enjoy all the flavours created in this menu, whether you’re celebrating Mothers day this weekend or simply enjoying eating with friends. Mod Fam food will bring you more Spring dishes next week. All we need now is sunshine!!

amanda delaney

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