Mother's Day 2017: Delight your mum with recipes from some of the UK's top chefs

Whether you're a seasoned cook or a first-timer, there's no need to panic if the onus has landed on your to provide this Mother’s Day. These recipes from some of the UK’s top chefs are sure to impress

Duck egg en cocotte with wild mushrooms and Gruyère cheese

Dan Doherty – chef director of Duck & Waffle

Serves 2

butter, for greasing
1 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme
½ a garlic clove
1 bay leaf
1 handful wild mushrooms, roughly chopped into 2cm pieces
½ glass white wine
150ml double cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 duck eggs
2 slices sourdough bread
20g Gruyère cheese, grated
3–5 truffle slices per person

Butter the insides of two 100ml ramekins or individual cocottes. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and cook the shallots with the thyme, garlic and bay leaf until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes more, then add the wine and simmer until reduced by three-quarters. Add the cream and continue to cook until reduced by half, then season with salt and pepper.

When ready to serve, preheat your oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Place half the sauce in the bottom of each ramekin, removing the thyme and bay leaf, then crack a duck egg into each. Top with the rest of the sauce, and place in the oven for 3 minutes.

Toast the bread and cut into soldiers. When the 3 minutes is up, or the whites have started to form, add the cheese to the ramekins and cook for a further 4–8 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs cooked. Garnish with the truffle slices and eat straight away with the toasted soldiers.

Duck & Waffle: Recipes and stories by Daniel Doherty, photography by Anders Schønnemann (Mitchell Beazley, £25 ). For more information, visit duckandwaffle.com

Potted Brown Crab, Polonaise and Crab Mayonnaise with Crumpets

Roy Brett – chef patron and owner of Ondine Restaurant

Serves 6

500g picked crab meat
250ml plain mayo
100g brown crab meat
salt & pepper
seasoning
100g bread crumbs
10g parsley
10g diced red onion
2 sieved boiled eggs
50ml olive oil
lemon juice 
nutmeg

For the crumpets

​200g plain flour
250g full-fat milk
10g yeast
5g sugar
5g salt
olive oil

In a bowl mix together the salt, pepper, lemon juice and nutmeg. Set aside. To make the brown crab mayonnaise, place the brown crab meat in a blender and blend until smooth. Fold the crab mixture into the mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper, then set aside.

Next – the polonaise. Take the eggs and push through a fine sieve with a wooden spoon until finely sieved. Combine with the other ingredients. Heat up some olive oil in a non-stick pan and add all the ingredients. Cook for a few minutes over a low heat until golden brown, season with salt and pepper and set aside on kitchen roll.

For the crumpets – place the flour, sugar, salt and yeast into a mixing bowl. Warm the milk in a thick bottomed pan, then add to the dry mix. Mix well, then pour into a bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to prove for at least an hour (it will be quite active and bubbly). Heat up a non-stick pan, add a little olive oil and spoon in the crumpet mix a tablespoon at a time. They will begin to bubble with air pockets before turning. This process takes only several minutes at a time.

Serve in 6 small jars layering the white crab meat, a thin layer of brown crab mayonnaise and sprinkle the polonaise on top. Serve with 3 small crumpets.

For more information on Ondine Restaurant visit ondinerestaurant.co.uk

Seared Scallops, Apple, Bacon and Cockles

Lee Redman – head chef at The Jetty Brighton

Serves 4

2 rashers thin-cut streaky bacon
2 rashers thick-cut streaky bacon
1/4 head cauliflower
150ml cream
150ml whole milk
1 litre apple juice, not from concentrate
apple batons, cut from 1 granny smith
curly endive lettuce leaves (or any bitter leaf)
100g cockle meat
30ml apple cider vinegar
30g caster sugar
60ml water
12 medium scallops

To make the cauliflower puree, place the cauliflower into a saucepan with the milk and cream. Slowly bring to a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is soft. Season and puree in a liquidiser, then pass through a sieve. For the bacon crumb, cook the rashers of streaky bacon between two baking sheets until completely cooked and crispy – 180°C for approximately 30-45 minutes. Allow to cool – transfer to a food processor and blitz to a crumb.

For the apple syrup, reduce the apple juice by half or until a syrup is reached. To pickle the cockles, warm the cider vinegar and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Add the water to the vinegar, then the cockles (these can be bought from your local fishmonger) and leave for at least 24 hours.

To serve, warm the puree in a small sauce pan, and sear the scallops in a non-stick frying pan. Spoon 4 tablespoons of the cauliflower puree on the plate and arrange the scallops, bacon and apple batons on top. Place a few pickled cockles around the plate, with a few bitter leaves. Dress with the apple syrup and some sprinklings of bacon crumb.

For more information on The Jetty visit thejetty-brighton.co.uk