Mother’s Day Breakfast

That all the family can share and enjoy.

The best time to say ‘love you mummy’ is right at the start of the day … breakfast.

But not too early, please.

Although they’re not in season, nothing says ‘I love you mum’ more delightfully than strawberries. All you have to do is make (or buy) a few light pancakes. Now for the strawberries, which can be dry and a little tasteless being out of season, so try this.

Macerate them by quartering the berries, popping them in a bowl with 2 or 3 good spoonfuls of Stokes Extra Strawberry Jam and a splash of red wine. As they soak up the sweetness of the jam and mature wine, the flavours intensify.

Slice the pancakes into ribbons, roll them and skewer a series of open discs just waiting to be loaded with the tastiest strawberry filling – ever.

While the oven is heating up to 200°C/gas mark 6, remove the stalks from 1 (or 2) Portobello mushrooms each, chopping and retaining the stalks. In a bowl, mix the chopped stalks with sliced cherry tomatoes, 2 tbsp of Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup, fresh herbs and seasoning. Put the mushrooms into an oven dish, fill with the tomato mixture, cover with foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven, foil off and top each with an egg.

[TIP: There is often too much white which will pour over the sides and make a mess, so, break each egg into a cup and lift the yolk carefully with a slotted spoon, taking just enough white to make the yellow stand out.]

Gently back into the oven until the whites become a brilliant firm white and the yolks remain sunshine yellow and deliciously soft. Peppery rocket adds a colourful contrast to these lovely Portobello pockets.

This traybake mini version of the French classic is breakfast winner. Start with the cheesy white sauce by making a roux with 2 tbsp of butter melted with 2 tbsp of flower stirred into it. Add 3 tsp of Stokes English Classic or Dijon Mustard followed gradually by a dash of white wine, squeeze of lemon and 250ml of milk. Whisk to a smooth sauce, thickening it for several minutes before adding 40gm or so of grated Cheddar cheese. You can always add more milk if the sauce is too thick.

Heat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 5 whilst taking the crusts off 6 slices of white bread then compacting them a little with a roller. Brush the slices with a little melted butter and push them, butter side down, into a 6 hole muffin tray, forcing them down with your fingers to create a well.

Put a dot of our smoky Chipotle Ketchup or refreshing Bloody Mary Ketchup into the bottom of each well then layer slices of ham, a spoonful of cheesy sauce, a small egg (see TIP above), more sauce, a few twists of pepper and a final grating of Cheddar. Now put the tray into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes before surprising ‘madame’ with the result – but not the washing up !

There are many variations on the Persian origins of this egg and spicy tomato breakfast dish. Warm up the pita or flatbreads and enjoy.

Simple doesn’t mean tasteless, so here goes: Fry off 1 diced red onion and 2 grated cloves of garlic in oil until the onion softens. Now add 2 cans of chopped tomatoes and 1 tsp of Harissa spices, 2 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce, 4 tbsp of our Tomato Ketchup and 1 tbsp of Stokes Chilli Jam. Simmer everything together to reduce the tomatoes to a thick sauce.

Make several wells in the sauce with the back of the spoon and break an egg each into the wells. Put the pan into the oven, pre-heated to 190°C/gas mark 5. Check after 10 minutes, but leave it until the whites are firm and the yolks are cooked but runny.

Find the products mentioned in the blog here: www.stokessauces.co.uk/shop