Mother’s Day 2019: the best gifts and experiences

(Image credit: © Patricia NIven)

By The Week Staff

last updated 25 March 2019

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, here are some great ideas to help you find the perfect gift or experience.

Fortnum & Mason hamper

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British perfumery Thameen has a new fragrance in time for this year’s Mother’s Day: Patiala, inspired by the mysterious Patiala necklace of India. Once one of the most extravagant pieces of jewellery in the world, containing 2,930 diamonds set in platinum, the necklace vanished in the 1940s. Thameen says the new scent, with piquant, floral aromas at its heart, is - like the famous necklace - “a manifestation of true craftsmanship and a mark of true sophistication”.

Be it Songs My Mother Taught Me or Requiem for an Angel, classical musicians have taken great inspiration from their own mums. If yours is inspired by classical music, this subscription gift might be a winner. New classical music-streaming service Primephonic has launched in the UK after a successful stint in the US and its home country, the Netherlands. Available on smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops, the high-quality service allows users to access a library of more than one million symphonies, concertos and sonatas by everyone from Scriabin to Satie, and features an adaptable bit-rate system that means buffering is never an issue.

The lauded Thyme in the Cotswolds has devised Mother’s Day specific menus at both its Ox Barn restaurant and the village pub it runs, The Swan, on Sunday 31 March. The Ox Barn will serve up a Sunday brunch featuring lamb shoulder with celeriac, wild chive and potato gratin and buttermilk pancakes with rhubarb and almonds, while over at The Swan roasted sweet potato soup with chilli and coconut will be followed by baked plaice fillet with buttered spinach and fennel velouté (among other options). Meals at both restaurants even come with a special gift of primroses for Mum to take home. Also available are gift vouchers to the cookery school and the Meadow Spa.

Can’t decide between treating mum to a classy afternoon tea or relaxing spa treatment? Why not give her both with this special Mother’s Day package from The Landmark London hotel. The spa experience includes a 50-minute facial treatment, 30-minute back massage and leisure time in the pool, jacuzzi and steam rooms. This is followed by an award-winning afternoon tea in the hotel’s Winter Garden.

Treat your Mum to a four-course meal - and save yourself a penny or two - as she eats for free at The Petersham Restaurant in Richmond. Tables of four booked at 4pm or later on 31 March are eligible for the special offer. Head chef Jean-Didier Gouges’ Mother’s Day menu features seasonal produce in dishes such as pan-fried cod and crab tortellini with samphire, fried leeks, crispy capers and avocado puree - while diners can enjoy floor-to-ceiling views of the River Thames.

At the glitzy Rosewood London, executive pastry chef Mark Perkins offers up a creative, art-inspired feast that earned the accolade of “Best Contemporary Afternoon Tea” in the UK last year. It’s easy to see why, as famous works by the likes of Jeff Koons, Wassily Kandinsky, Banksy and Jackson Pollock are deftly transformed into patisserie masterpieces that deliver on both visuals and flavour.

Chef Theo Randall’s namesake restaurant at the InterContinental delivers produce-driven rustic Italian food with a loyal following. This Mother’s Day, diners can opt for special lunch, with a selection of Italian salads, cured meats and cheeses, ravioli di erbette, a secondi plate of your choice, porchetta, and desserts for the table. Unlimited Prosecco and Bloody Maria’s are available for two hours and each mother will receive a Moyses Stevens bouquet.

If you want to take your mum out for a drink and leave looking even better than when you walked in, this little secret bar in Soho is the one for you. Blade offers a Hairclubbing experience, which brings together top stylists and connoisseur-curated drinks. This year’s event has an apple twist: share a half-price bottle of Brännland Artisanal Swedish Cider or two-for-one cocktails by quoting “Apple Of Their Eye” when you book an appointment on 31 March for Mother’s Day.

The Spanish food market Brindisa has brought together a balanced collection of sweet and savoury foods sourced from different areas of Spain. One of the best ways to explore a country is through its foods, and this hamper brings that experience straight to your home. With honey chocolate and almonds from Catalonia, Gordal olives and game pate from Andalusia, fish from the north coast, and chorizo from La Rioja, there’s no need to send your mum off in order to give her a tasting adventure that is almost a match for visit to Spain.

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