Whether you’re short on time or confidence, or the kitchen is just not your natural environment, sometimes we all need a bit of help. Especially if you’re trying to wow someone special.

So we thought it might be nice if we took the strain out of it. This Mothers Day feast menu is designed for a family of four (although you can tweak the numbers), and is straightforward enough that most people should be able to manage it. There are plenty of things that the kids can get involved with as well, keeping them busy and also helping you along.

If you’re new to our recipe collections, here’s a little recap. The collection proper is lower down this page, after the picture. This particular collection is broken into three groups, Starter, Main and Dessert. To the left of the collection on a desktop, or below on a tablet or phone, you’ll find action buttons. Without an account, you can adjust the portions directly in the collection below, and then print out the menu, the recipes, and an adjustable shopping list. Remember, you can also switch the recipes from metric to imperial if that’s what you prefer.

With an account, you can add this collection to your My Meals collection, where you can play around with it and alter it to your hearts content.

Starter

Although this is a deceptively easy dish, the mix of flavours is bound to wow. Keeping it nice and easy, you can cook the spelt, bacon and halloumi well in advance, so that all you have to do is bring the rest of the ingredients together right at the last minute. With that prep done, it’ll likely take you no more than 10-15 minutes to finish the dish and serve. Serve half an hour before you expect everything to come together for the main. In other words, just before you rest the chicken.

Main

A classic Sunday roast, but with enough extra touches to make it feel special. Start out with the chicken. You can prepare the tarragon butter in advance, and even stuff the chicken earlier in the day, ready to go. Once the chicken is in the oven, you can make a start on the potatoes. Again, these can be peeled in advance, although keep them whole. Once the potatoes are in the oven, get the onions and butternut squash going, then you’ve got time to take extra care with initial cook of the beans. Whilst the chicken rests, you can lower the temp of the oven to keep everything else warm (down to about 100C, 80C fan, about half a gas mark), and then concentrate on making the gravy. It’s then a matter of minutes to finish the beans in a frying pan, and get everything served to the table.

Dessert

For dessert we’re suggesting another classic, that always goes down well. It’s an ideal Sunday pud at this time of year as well. And the beauty is, you can steam this in advance, even the previous day, and quickly reheat in the microwave to serve alongside a quality custard or vanilla ice cream… or both. If you’re really short on time, check out the notes, and you’ll find a microwave only version.