Make-at-home Mother’s Day gifts
Whether she’s your actual Mum or someone who’s always treated you like one of their own, it’s time to celebrate the special woman in your life. Flashy gifts aren’t the only way to do it. Remember making her presents when you were a kid? Show her how much you care with something homemade. To shop all things Mother’s Day, visit our dedicated aisle on site.
Fruit bouquet
Your Mother’s Day bouquet doesn’t have to be been-there-done-that territory. Edible arrangements are a great way to send a smile.
What you’ll need
- Skewers
- Fresh fruit (choose her favourites)
- Cookie cutters (flowers and heart shapes work well)
- Opaque vase/teapot or other tall container
- Chocolate (for dipping)
- Parsley
- Foam, clay or stones to hold the skewers in place
Preparing the fruit
- Strawberries: they’re great for dipping into chocolate. Just chop off the green tops.
- Pineapple: cut into 1-1.5cm slices, use a cookie cutter or knife to shape them into flowers.
- Blueberries/grapes: stack them one top of the other on a skewer to create ‘hyacinths’.
- Melon/ apple: you can cut both of them into varying shapes to add some extra colour.
Instructions
- After you’ve chosen and prepped your fruit, break your chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl.
- Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer and place the bowl of chocolate on top. This method prevents the chocolate from burning or separating.
- When the chocolate begins to melt, use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until smooth.
- Pop some of the fruit onto the skewers and begin dipping it into the chocolate. Make sure all your fruit is dry before adding the coating. Let the chocolate dry.
- Place the remainder of your fruit onto the skewers and begin arranging. Use taller skewers in the centre and shorter ones on the outside to mimic a flower arrangement.
- Add the sprigs of parsley in between the skewers to fill in any gaps.
Your OIL I need
Homemade chilli or garlic oil are gifts that just keep on giving. You can add these tasty oils to all your Mother’s Day meals, from avocado on toast to Italian-inspired dinner menus.
What you’ll need
- 500ml olive oil
- 8-10 cloves of garlic, sliced
- Or, 3-4 whole red chillies + 20g chilli flakes
- A few sprigs of rosemary, sage or thyme
- A sterilised, sealable glass bottle
Instructions
- Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan over a low to medium heat with some peeled and sliced garlic, or your whole chillies and chilli flakes.
- Leave the oil to simmer for a few minutes, continuously stirring to avoid burning the garlic or chilli. Let it cook for a little longer to strengthen the taste. Once fragrant, remove from the heat and let the oil cool completely.
- Pour the oil – with the chilli flakes or garlic – into your sterilised glass bottle using a funnel.
- Add the herb sprigs, seal and store in a cool dark place.
HOMEMADE PEPPERMINT LIP Or BODY SCRUB
Pop your homemade scrub into the box alongside your face masks to continue Mum’s at-home pamper sesh.
What you’ll need
- 1 1/2-2 cups of sugar
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 4-6 drops of peppermint essential oil
- 1 tsp vitamin E oil
- 1-3 drops of food colouring
- Mason jar
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until it becomes liquid.
- Mix in your essential oils until the scent is strong enough. 5 drops of the peppermint should do it. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. For a coarser consistency, reduce the amount of oil and increase the sugar.
- Split your scrub in half and add the food colouring of your choice to each one.
- Fill your mason jar, alternating the colours, and seal the lid tightly to keep the air out.
HOMEMADE FACE MASK
Treat your someone special to an at-home spa experience this Mother’s Day with these homemade masks. You’ll need a small, sealable container to store these in.
What you’ll need
For a hydrating face mask:
- 1/2 an avocado
- 1 tbsp of honey
- A handful of oats or oat bran
For smoothing and toning:
- 1 tbsp of plain natural yoghurt
- 1 tbsp of honey
- 1 tbsp of turmeric
For a soothing face mask:
- 1 tsp of honey
- 1 tsp of coconut oil
- 1/4 ripe avocado
- 2 drops of lavender oil
For oily skin:
- 1/2 an avocado
- 1/4 of a cucumber, blended
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients of the mask you’ve chosen to make.
- Place into your container and seal. Store in the fridge until gifting.
- All the masks can be left on the skin for approximately 15 mins. To remove, just rinse thoroughly.
HOST AFTERNOON TEA FOR THEM
Spoil Mum with an at-home afternoon tea. You’ll need a few different types of sandwiches and cakes, but the best bit about making it yourself? You can choose her favourite flavours. And, don’t forget the most important part – scones with clotted cream and jam. Get some recipe inspiration from our edible gifts, or, if you’re not much of a baker, take a look at our Entertain by Ocado range to avoid all the prep.
MAKE A PLAYLIST
Making Mum a playlist of her favourite songs is easy. Keep an eye on the radio station she usually listens to and raid her CD collection for a bit of extra inspo. Or, why not ask the rest of the family and her friends for ideas. You could make a playlist of songs that represent different periods of her life or one full of tunes that remind you of her. Spotify or Apple Music both let you create playlists. If she still has a CD player, you could go old school and burn her a CD.