Brunch recipe suggestions for Mother's Day

In our experience there aren’t many Mum’s who don’t like brunch, or breakfast in bed, to celebrate Mother's Day.

So here are Lucy and Martha’s favourite brunch recipes to inspire you for Mother’s Day (or just any day…because when is there not a good day to have pancakes!?)

Super Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes:

Lucy and her family are big fans of pancakes! This recipe comes from Martha Collison, of The Great British Bake Off and Graham Norton’s radio show fame. Super fluffy buttermilk pancakes, with bacon and maple syrup. They're also delicious with fruit, yoghurt, honey, nuts....the list is endless! 

Makes 10

For the pancakes:
125g plain flour
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
250ml buttermilk (or 150g Greek yoghurt + 100ml milk)
1 large egg
25g melted butter

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, caster sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Beat together the buttermilk, egg and melted butter in a measuring jug.

2. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and slowly pour in the wet ingredients, whisking all the time. Continue to mix until a smooth batter forms with no lumps.

3. Heat a pan over a medium heat and grease lightly with butter, wiping out any excess with kitchen paper. Spoon a few teaspoons of the mixture into the pan as mini test pancakes and see how they cook. Adjust the temperature of the pan accordingly.

4. When the pan is at the right temperature, use a ladle or ice-cream scoop to dollop the mixture into the pan (not too close together as it will spread). Cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the underside of the pancakes are golden brown, then flip over to cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until they feel spongy and cooked through.

5. Transfer to a warm plate and cook the rest of the batter in the same way, greasing the pan with butter as needed. Top the pancakes with a knob of butter and drizzle with maple syrup before serving.

Huevos Rancheros

Martha likes any recipe that works for breakfast, brunch or lunch…and can be part made in advance so there’s less cooking first thing. So her recommendation is Huevos Rancheros, a delicious Mexican inspired stew, delicious with bread to soak up the flavours.

You can make the tomato and pepper mix in advance and then when you’re ready to eat, warm it up, pop in the eggs and you’re ready to eat.

This recipe comes from Jamie Oliver’s, Jamie’s America book.

Ingredients: 

• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 red peppers
• 2 fresh red or orange chillies
• olive oil
• 1 large dried chilli
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 2 x 400 g tins of quality plum tomatoes
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• 6 large eggs
• 6 tortillas
• Cheddar cheese, to serve

1. Peel and finely slice the onions and garlic. Deseed and finely slice the peppers and chillies.
2. Get a large frying pan (make sure you’ve got a lid to go with it) on a high heat and add several good lugs of olive oil.
3. Add the onion, garlic, peppers, fresh and dried chillies, bay leaves and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper, and cook for 15 minutes, or until to softened and caramelised, stirring regularly.
4. Pour in the tomatoes, using a spoon or potato masher to break them up. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a medium heat and cook for a further 5 minutes to reduce the sauce.
5. When you’ve got a nice thick tomato stew consistency, have a taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
6. Slice the fresh tomatoes and lay them over the top of the mixture.
7. Use a spoon to make small wells in the tomato stew, then crack in the eggs so they poach in the thick, delicious juices – try to crack them in as quickly as you can so they all get to cook for roughly the same amount of time.
8. Season from a height, put the lid on and let the eggs cook for around 3 to 4 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
9. Warm the tortillas while this is happening. You can pop them into the oven at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 for a few minutes, microwave them for a few seconds or even lay them over the lid of the pan so they heat up as the eggs cook.
10. Take the lid off and check your eggs by giving them a poke with your finger. When they’re done to your liking, turn the heat off and take the pan to the table with the warmed tortillas, the Cheddar and a grater so everyone can get involved and make their own.

Happy Cooking. If you decide to make either of these recipes then do hop on over to Instagram and tag us in your pics so we can see your tasty brunches!