TREAT your mum this Mother’s Day with a home made dish. These delicious recipes, including a few which have been passed down to local chefs by their own mothers, are guaranteed to put a smile on her face this Sunday. SOPHIE BROWNSON reports.

A HOMEMADE meal or treat for your mum this Mother's Day is a perfect way of saying thank you for everything she does.

Here we bring you a few simple dishes to try out including some sweet treat recipes which have been passed down to local chefs from their own mothers as well as a recipe perfect for a special brunch:

For a delicious dessert recipe why not try out this strawberry and mascarpone cheesecake.

The recipe was passed down to Simon King of restaurant 1861, near Abergavenny by his mum Rosemary and is used by Mr King regularly in his restaurant to this day.

For the base

100g digestive biscuits

75g unsalted butter

For the cheesecake mix

250g mascarpone cheese

125g ripe strawberries

125mls double cream

60g caster sugar

Method

Place the digestive biscuits in a bowl and using the end of a rolling pin crush into biscuit crumbs. Melt the butter and mix into the biscuit crumbs. Press the mixture into the bottle of your moulds and place into the fridge to set.

Hull the strawberries and mash with a potato masher or a ricer. Mix the strawberry pulp with your mascarpone.

Whip the cream and sugar to a soft peak and fold into the mascarpone mix. Spoon the mix into your moulds and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.

Remove from the mould and decorate with fresh strawberries and serve with yogurt, cream or ice cream.

Steve White, head chef The Ruperra Arms in Bassaleg, said his mum Sheila passed on a recipe for fairy cakes which brings back childhood memories for him.

He said: “I always remember when I was young with my mum on a Saturday morning helping her make cakes.

“I always used to help make the mix and she would always give me the spoon to lick afterwards.

“We used to make a variety of cakes and the one that always stuck in my mind were fairy cakes, always waiting for them to cool on a wire rack when they came out of the oven then making a hole in the middle filling with butter cream and making wings out of the excess sponge.”

Ingredients

For the fairy cakes

250g butter

250g caster sugar

250g self raising flour

5 eggs

2 vanilla pods scraped

For the butter cream

75g soft butter

250g icing sugar

Zest of 1 orange

1 vanilla pod scraped

Method

In a mixing bowl using the creaming method, cream together the butter and sugar until light in colour.

Gradually add the eggs one by one until they are all mixed together

Then add your flour and vanilla and mix together

Spoon your mix evenly between your paper cases

Place in a pre heated oven at gas mark 5 /180c for half an hour

When cooked place on a wire rack to cool

For the butter cream, whisk your soft butter and icing sugar together and orange zest and vanilla seeds until light and creamy

When the cakes are cool, with a sharp knife make a circle in the cake and pull out the piece of sponge.

Fill the hole with your orange butter cream and cut the excess sponge in half to make wings and place them on top of filled cake.

Dust with icing sugar

Artisan baker Bill King (who also provides our recipe column this week) says his mum's scones are the best.

He said: "My mother Dorothy is just short of her 89th birthday and has baked all of her life. She makes great sponges and has done several sugarcraft courses to make her cakes a standout feature of her local WI.

"For me though it was her scones that were best. Golden yellow from the free range eggs and butter, light and fluffy and perfect with jam and cream.

"I still use her recipe, slightly changed, and get good results every time. These are generous scones, both in size and flavour.

"Perfect for afternoon tea, a picnic or just an indulgent mid- morning coffee break.

"PS If you are putting jam and clotted cream on them it has to be jam first so you can pile the cream high!"

Makes 12-14

900g plain flour

50g caster sugar

3 heaped tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt (I use Halen Mon sea salt with organic vanilla for extra depth of flavour)

175g butter

3 eggs

425ml whole milk

First heat your oven to 250c or to the maximum if it doesn’t get that hot.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl then dice the butter and rub it in.

In a separate bowl beat the eggs then pour in the milk and whisk together.

Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the milk and egg mix and bring into loose dough.

Turn onto a work surface and pat the dough out to about 1 inch thick.

Use a 3inch (7.5cm) cutter, that you have dipped in flour, to make the scones then turn them upside down onto a baking tray. (Turning them gives you straighter sides).

Bake immediately for 10 to 12 minutes until risen and golden.

You could add 110g of fruit if you wish. Sultanas, cranberries or cherries work best.

For a really good crunchy topping brush the scones with egg glaze and the sprinkle granulated sugar on them just before they go into the oven.

If it's more of a savoury dish you're after then try this warm watercress potato cake with poached egg and trout. Perfect for a special brunch.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serves four

You’ll need:

700g potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks

100g watercress, lightly chopped

1 egg, beaten

4 tbsp olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

150g hot smoked trout fillets, broken into flakes

50g watercress

4 eggs

What to do:

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10 to 15mins or until they are tender.

Drain, return to the pan and mash until smooth. Add the chopped watercress, beaten egg and plenty of seasoning. Mix well then leave until cool enough to handle.

Preheat the oven to 200C/ 400F/Gas Mark 6.

Divide the mixture into four, and shape each into a neat cake shape. Brush on all sides with the oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 mins or until the cakes are golden brown.

When ready to serve, bring a frying pan of salted water to the boil. Reduce the heat so the water is just simmering, then crack the four eggs and gently drop them into the water. Cook for three to four minutes or until the eggs are poached to your liking. Lift them from the water with a slotted spoon and drain.

Place a potato cake on each plate, top with watercress, flaked trout and the poached egg. Serve straight away.