Just like Valentine’s Day, Mothering Sunday aka Mother’s Day has blossomed into being much more of a broad church kind of a celebration. Beloved mum figures can include a dearly cherished neighbour, friend, relative, surrogate mum – anyone who loves and is beloved. After some torrid tumultuous times I think we all deserve to celebrate life and love however and whenever we get the opportunity.

Having lost my own beloved mum far too early, back in 2000, I recognise that it can be a painful occasion for many. Hopefully we can turn this bitter sweet of days into an opportunity to recall happy memories, tell those we love how much we do indeed love them (so easy to not actually spell this out in the here and now) and celebrate Spring peeking from around the corner.

Our step by step guide to creating a queen for a day takes you from breakfast in bed to a cosy, candle lit supper.

Our top 5 ways to celebrate Mother’s Day at home are designed to inspire not to prescribe. These are tried and tested products and tips to help you to create a wonderful, spa like, cosy cocoon for your chosen “Queen for a day”.

With eye watering costs of just about everything nowadays, we’ve been mindful to include plenty of DIY home made treats and innovative ideas as well as beautiful artisan made gifts from small independent businesses. Rather than heading to a super expensive hotel or buying an off the peg, mass produced box of chocolates why not pause a while to think, day dream and plan a gorgeous day of truly thoughtful treats? Bespoke, personalised touches, and hand made gift wrapped surprises will show just how cherished she is. We share our tips on delivering a delicious and indulgent breakfast in bed through to a leisurely picnic lunch with gluten free desserts and finish the day with snuggly supper suggestions. All the products mention are artisan made by independently owned small businesses. Small truly is beautiful.

Help! I need gluten free and dairy free dessert recipes for Mother’s day

As you’d expect from Honeybuns, we are ever mindful of those with allergies and dietary requirements. All the following recipe suggestions are gluten free with many vegan, dairy free and soya free options too. Although we are best known for our gluten free and dairy free cakes we have also hosted a fair few parties and feasts for our team, friends and our village. We love to spoil people and to set a magical scene here at Naish Farm. All the recipes linked here have been served to said guests over the past 25 years- they truly are tried and tested, with clean plates all round.

We have also collected a gorgeous array of vintage props ranging from old enamel tea pots to retro china cake stands which help to create beautiful tablescapes – we’ll share some of favourite hunting grounds for unique, quirky pieces.

Step 1: The best recipe for an indulgent Mother’s day breakfast in bed

Setting the scene – let’s start with breakfast in bed and arranging the tray.

We love vintage finds which are characterful and can often be bought very cheaply. Our breakfast tray was one such find. It was a rather dull, “dark” wood item until we gave it a lick of chalky white paint.

We love Annie Sloan chalk paints which are super easy to apply and create a shabby chic look.

Some of our favourite vintage hunting grounds for sourcing trays to teapots to retro cake stands include:

Etsy
Ebay
Preloved
Free cycle
Charity shops
Car boot sales
Flea markets. Check out antiques fairs near you or for more of a flea market Shepton Flea Market is brilliant for a gold old rummage.

For extra prettiness why not use a stencil to decorate your tray too? Try searching “pretty stencils” on Etsy and you find stencil kits from honey bees to meadow flowers. These can then be applied to your painted tray with spray paint. Up cycling is easy, fun and fab for the environment too.

Our Honeybuns cake photography sessions often feature flowers. Either fresh from the garden or we sprinkle dried flower petals over everything for a touch of pretty.

For beautiful, natural dried flower petals online we love British grown Shropshire Petals. You just need a few to adorn your customised breakfast tray. Or for beautiful vintage colours try Confetti Bee.

For a mini DIY bunch of fresh flowers have a look in the garden for stems of pussy willow, red stemmed dog wood, hazel, daffodils and primroses which are all in season now. Just a few choice sprigs will look delightful set in a pretty vintage mug, cup, jug or jam jar.

Mother’s day recipe suggestions for an easy breezy laid back breakfast in bed

Our breakfast pots recipe are always a hit. The added bonus is they look super pretty too. For something a little more substantial then our “posh porridge” is delicious and filling. It also just so happens to be gluten free, dairy free and vegan to boot.

Nothing beats hot buttered toast and there is no need to miss out if you need a tasty gluten free version with this seeded loaf recipe.

You can bake and freeze a loaf ahead of time- leaving you to relax with your favourite “mum” and not be stressing in the kitchen.

For beautiful jams and preserves to slather on your toast we heartily recommend The Newt in Somerset. You can now buy their stunning goodies online.

Step 2: How to create a Beautiful bath time spa experience at home

Run a lovely deep bath, add some of the aforementioned flower petals and add something rather delicious smelling from this lovely artisan producer, Yellow Gorse based in the stunning shire of Dorset.

No bath? You can still create a wonderfully scented shower ambience by using an oil diffuser with wax melts. One of our favourites is a summers evening scent from this small family run company in Suffolk.

Prefer candles? We are lucky to have Rhubarb Candle Company on our doorstep. Their rhubarb and rose is divine.

Finding a really beautiful, artisan an natural shower gel was proving tricky until we found this lovely company, Yorkshire Soap. No nasties and gorgeous scents.

For exquisitely crafted, natural body lotions and potions to gift, Gemma is the lady who founded Enchanted Plants, again, Dorset based. Her rose and geranium hand lotion and liquid soap are adored by her very loyal following, including us.

Twinkly lights at bath time are a must in our book. Lights4fun offer a fab range of bathroom safe, battery operated versions. Their customer service is excellent and everything is available online.

Mood music courtesy of the super talented Dean Carter will complete your at home spa experience. Dean specialises in no words music using Tibetan sound bowls CDs are available online. I attended one of Dean’s popular sound baths and fell into the deepest most delicious sleep ever. Just hope to goodness I didn’t snore…..

Step 3: Some light exercise before lunch or a spot of elegant lounging?

A stroll before lunch time might be nice? Go 4awalk.com is a great starting place. They have lots of downloadable circular walks across the UK. I have used a couple of their coastal routes and found them really well described – and I’m pretty rubbish at navigation. There are plenty of other versions online but I have not personally tested them.

Too energetic? Then how about preparing a cosy chair with blankets and a pile of favourite magazines – or books. Our coffee table favourites at the moment include:

Rare Birds, True Style is a round up of gorgeous interiors and home of creatives from Alice Temperley to Charlie Casely-Hayford
Perfect English Cottage The clue is in the title. This beautiful book by Ros Byam Shaw, with its stunning photography, is my go to when agonising over a new paint scheme for our quirky, wonky cottage.
For green fingered mums hows about “The Thoughtful Gardener” by Jinny Blom? I’ve been inspired by her seemingly “undone” relaxed approach to gardening- both contemporary and timeless.
For food, interiors and gardens all in one luxurious tome I’d recommend Eat Sleep and Nap by Soho House. It is dreamy and perfect for flicking through whilst munching on a delicate, gluten free cupcake or two.
Seeking foodie inspiration in the dairy free baked goods department? Check out our very own Honeybuns All Day Cook Book.

The very best hand made artisan gifts for Mother’s Day

Before lunch might be the time for a beautifully wrapped gift. Here is a round up of our favourites:

Dorset made alpaca socks direct from the farm.
Deluxe Mother’s Day cake gift hampers plus added gift wrap from yours truly. Everything we bake is gluten free and we have plenty of dairy free, soya free cakes and desserts too.
Dorset cheese and chutney, again direct from the farm and just down the road from our bakery.
A stunning bunch of farm grown flowers. No air miles or pesticides to worry about from the delightful Black Shed Flowers.
A keepsake piece of handmade jewellery. Hi Ho Silver are Dorset based with equestrian and nature inspired designs.

Step 4: An easy peasy picnic lunch

We’d recommend a tapas style indoor picnic for relaxed grazing and minimum hassle. No starters or mains just a colourful and nutritious array of tasty, gluten free treats, snacks and nibbles.

Dips such as peasto, and smoky aubergine can be prepped in advance as can trays of yummy roasted Mediterranean veggies and gluten free bread and crackers. Just add some quality oils for dipping.

We’ve got dessert covered with recipe ideas or if you prefer – just let us do the heavy lifting and head over to our super easy to use online shop for gluten free and vegan treats delivered right to your door. We deliver throughout the UK and you can even choose your own preferred dispatch date.

Comfy chairs, floor cushions and blankets all help to create a cosy indoor picnic base. For perfect picnic perches we love Weaver Green floor cushions made from 100% recycled plastic bottles.

Our favourite gluten free dip, cracker, bread and tray bake recipes include:

These are really easy, dairy free and gluten free almond cookies. Ignore the “Christmas” in the link- they are perfect for anytime of the year!
Fancy some delicious sweet and savoury muffins?
We featured tasty picnic style dips a plenty in our Honeybuns All Day Cook Book, including these beauties.
Check out our truly delicious free from crackers ‘how to’ video here.
Chocolate is always a winner, so for a no fuss, easy to bake, gluten free chocolate brownie slice that just so happens to be dairy free too this recipe is a classic.

Step 5: Lazy afternoon into Suppertime

Classic films, board games, flicking through old photos together are all lovely things to do yet we so rarely seem to make time. Mother’s Day presents the perfect permission to pop the out of office on, ignore the phone and enjoy precious time together. Going through your diaries and popping in dates for treats throughout the year is also a good exercise. You can also do your bit to support local theatre groups and independent cinemas and eateries by buying tickets in advance. My friends and I call it “booking in joy”.

And so our thoughts turn once again to food….

Easy Mother’s Day gluten free supper menu ideas

Supper could not be simpler. It has to be our delicious moussaka which everyone here at Honeybuns loves.

We have the classic gluten free version and a vegan version here.

This rich savoury dish is naturally gluten free but you can also make it dairy free and vegan if you wish. It can be prepped, cooked and kept chilled or frozen until you need to heat up.

There are no potatoes in this recipe – just lots of aubergine and other roasted veggies. Serve with a simple mixed leaf salad. For dessert, check out our moreish and beautiful mini dessert stacks here.

I hope you get chance to try out some of the ideas and peruse some of the lovely artisan makers. Most of all I wish you are your mum the most wonderful of days.

Love and Light,

Emx

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You might also be interested in reading our top 5 best gluten free and vegan cakes to gift.