Mother’s day doesn’t have to be complicated. After you have showered Mom with flowers, A proper lunch, cooked at home, with a good drink in hand and something delicious at every stage — is all it takes to make someone feel like the most important person in the room.
We’ve put together a full menu from starter to dessert, with drinks to match. It’s doable — most of it can be prepped ahead, so the flavour is doing most of the heavy lifting. Here’s how to pull it off.
Starter: Peri-Peri Chicken Livers
Start somewhere unexpected. Peri-peri chicken livers are rich, fiery and deeply satisfying — the kind of starter that makes everyone lean forward at the table. We cook ours in Wilson’s Foods Peri-Peri Flavoured Oil, which is infused with smoked paprika and gives the livers that deep, smoky heat without having to build a sauce from scratch. A good splash of peri-peri sauce, a spoonful of double-cream yoghurt to round it out, and you’re done. Serve it with crusty bread to mop up the sauce and a glass of something cold.
The beauty of this dish is that it takes about 20 minutes, but you can make the sauce a day ahead if you want to reduce the morning stress — just reheat gently and add the yoghurt at the end.
Starter recipe: Peri-Peri Chicken Livers — serves 4, ready in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Method
- Rinse and drain the chicken livers. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until just golden, then add the chillies and stir to combine.
- Remove from the heat, pour half the oil mixture into a bowl and set aside for serving.
- Return the saucepan to a low heat and add half the peri-peri sauce and the yoghurt or cream. Bring to a simmer. Taste to see if you would like more peri- peri sauce. Season to taste, add a squeeze of lemon juice and remove from the heat.
- Heat some oil in a pan and fry the livers in batches for 1–2 minutes on each side, then stir through the peri-peri sauce.
- Serve with warmed Portuguese rolls and a drizzle of the reserved garlic-and- paprika oil.
- Cook’s note: Nothing beats the comfort of a crusty, buttered Portuguese roll topped with hot- from-the-pan peri-peri chicken livers. These are super-fast, so don’t overcook them – just sear quickly as they will continue cooking in the hot sauce.
Main: Roast Chicken with Lemon, Rosemary and Crispy Potatoes
A roast chicken done properly is hard to beat. The trick — and it’s a good one — is parboiling the potatoes with the whole lemon in the water. The lemon infuses the potatoes, and when you stab it and push it steaming-hot into the chicken cavity, the juice releases from the inside out as it roasts. The result is a bird that’s genuinely lemony and juicy all the way through, not just on the surface.
We rub the chicken generously with Wilson’s Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil before it goes into the oven — it gives the skin that deep golden colour and keeps it crispy. The potatoes get tossed in olive oil too, with plenty of rosemary and crushed garlic, and they roast in the same tray as the chicken so they catch all the pan juices. They’re the best part.
This is the dish that needs the most oven time — about 1 hour 20 minutes — so get it in first, then everything else works around it. Rest the chicken for at least 15 minutes before carving. Don’t skip this. It’s the difference between juicy and dry, every single time.
Main recipe: Roast Chicken with Lemon, Rosemary and Crispy Potatoes — serves 6, total time approximately 1 hour 45 minutes.
Roast Chicken with Lemon, Rosemary and Crispy Potatoes
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 190°C. Season the chicken generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Rub all over with 2 tablespoons of Wilson's Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Set aside at room temperature while you prep the potatoes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes and the whole lemon and cook for 12 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for 1 minute — this is key for crispy potatoes.
- While the potatoes are still hot, toss them vigorously in the pot so their outsides get rough and fluffy — this gives you maximum crunch in the oven. Remove the lemon.
- Add the potatoes to a large roasting tray with the remaining tablespoon of Wilson's Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the rosemary sprigs, thyme and unpeeled garlic cloves. Toss well and season generously.
- Carefully stab the drained lemon about 10 times using a knife (hold it with tongs — it will hiss), then push it into the chicken cavity along with a few rosemary and thyme sprigs.
- Sit the chicken directly in the centre of the roasting tray on top of the potatoes. Roast for 1 hour 20 minutes, basting the chicken and giving the potatoes a shake every 30 minutes or so.
- The chicken is done when the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh. Transfer to a board to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving — don't skip this. Return the potatoes to the oven while the chicken rests if you want them extra crispy.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins, mash and smear over the chicken just before carving. Serve with the pan juices spooned over the top.
- Notes: Rest the chicken for a minimum of 15 minutes — it makes a significant difference to the juiciness. The parboiled lemon trick is the key to this recipe. Don't skip it.
Side: Griddled Vegetables and Feta with Tabbouleh
This side dish brings freshness and colour to the table. Aubergine, courgettes, red onions and tomatoes, all griddled until charred and sweet, then roughly chopped and piled over a cracked wheat tabbouleh with mint, parsley and lemon. On top of that, a whole block of marinated feta, griddled until golden and crispy on the outside and melting in the middle. Caramelised pistachios scattered over everything at the end.
The vegetables and tabbouleh can both be prepared ahead — make the tabbouleh the morning of, and prep the veg for griddling. Then it’s just 10 minutes on a hot griddle pan before everything comes together. A generous finish of Wilson’s Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the top at the end ties every element together.
Side recipe: Griddled Vegetables and Feta with Tabbouleh — serves 6, prep and cook time approximately 45 minutes.
Griddled Vegetables and Feta with Tabbouleh
Ingredients
Method
- Make the feta marinade first. Place the whole block of feta in a small dish with half the oregano leaves, a good drizzle of Wilson's Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a pinch of black pepper. Set aside to marinate while you prepare everything else.
- Make the tabbouleh. Cook the cracked wheat according to packet instructions, then rinse and drain. Set aside to cool. Finely chop the mint and parsley and the cucumber. Once the wheat has cooled, mix in the herbs, cucumber, a generous squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside.
- Prick the aubergine all over with a fork. Heat a griddle pan or braai grid to very high heat. Grill the aubergine, courgettes, red onion wedges, tomatoes and whole garlic bulb until beautifully charred on all sides. Work in batches — don't crowd the pan.
- Transfer the charred vegetables to a chopping board. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin, squish the tomatoes, and roughly chop everything together. Fold through the remaining chopped parsley and oregano and season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of Wilson's Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Griddle the marinated feta on a sheet of greaseproof paper or in a small braai-safe dish for about 3 minutes per side until golden and crispy on the outside.
- Toast the pistachios in a dry pan until golden. Add the honey and let it caramelise for a couple of minutes, tossing constantly. Tip onto an oiled piece of baking paper to cool, then roughly chop.
- Spoon the tabbouleh onto a large serving platter. Top with the chopped griddled vegetables, place the golden feta in the centre, drizzle generously with Wilson's Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and scatter the caramelised pistachios over everything. Serve immediately.
Notes
Dessert: Jam Treacle Tart
This tart is a proper crowd-pleaser. Buttery shortcrust pastry, a sticky golden syrup and cornflake filling with a layer of raspberry jam underneath, baked until golden and just set.
Make it the day before. This is genuinely one of those tarts that improves overnight. On the day, just warm it slightly and serve it with rum-spiked custard — the custard takes about five minutes and is to die for! A sprinkle of cinnamon on top finishes it off.
Dessert recipe: Jam Treacle Tart — serves 8–10, best made the day before.
Jam Treacle Tart
Ingredients
Method
- Make the pastry. Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Beat the egg and add to the mixture, working it together gently until a ball of dough forms — don't overwork it or the pastry will be tough. Pat into a thick flat disc, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 180°C. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out to about 4mm thick and use it to line a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin, pressing into the sides and leaving a slight overhang. Line with baking paper, fill with baking beans or uncooked rice, and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes until the base is lightly golden.
- Make the filling. Warm the 600g golden syrup in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until it starts to bubble. Add the cornflakes, scrunching some and leaving some whole, along with the breadcrumbs. Mix well. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Beat the egg and stir it through the cooled syrup mixture.
- Spread the raspberry jam evenly across the blind-baked pastry case. Spoon the syrup and cornflake mixture over the jam, spreading evenly to the edges. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the top is golden and just set.
- Make the custard. Whisk the custard powder and sugar together in a small bowl with a splash of the cold milk until smooth. Heat the remaining milk in a saucepan until just simmering. Pour the custard paste into the hot milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in the rum.
- Drizzle the reserved tablespoon of golden syrup over the warm tart. Slice and serve with the rum custard, and a pinch of cinnamon if you like.
Notes
Drinks: Cocktails with Wilson’s Foods Lime Juice
A Sunday lunch without a proper drink isn’t a Sunday lunch. We use Wilson’s Foods Lime Juice as the base for our cocktails — no squeezing, no mess, consistent citrus flavour every time. A classic margarita or a strawberry daiquiri both work beautifully here. Or go alcohol-free with a simple lime, mint and soda — elegant and refreshing alongside the starters.
Get the drinks made and in the glasses before the guests sit down. It sets the tone immediately and means you can walk away from the kitchen and actually enjoy the day.
Drinks recipes: Classic Margarita, Strawberry Daiquiri and Passion Fruit Mojito — all using Wilson’s Foods Lime Juice.
How to Time It All
The treacle tart should be made the day before — it’s better the next day and one less thing to think about on the morning. The tabbouleh can be made on the morning of the lunch, same with the chicken liver sauce. Then it’s just the roast chicken going into the oven about two hours before you want to eat, the potatoes joining it, and the vegetables hitting the griddle pan while the chicken rests.
Done well, you’ll spend more time at the table than in the kitchen. Which is exactly how Mother’s Day should be.
Get everything you need: Wilson’s Foods Peri-Peri Flavoured Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Lime Juice are available online and at leading retailers across South Africa.