Few things say “I love you” more than an unbidden cup of tea, but if you want to show true appreciation to the maternal figure in your life this Mother’s Day, there’s nothing better than a few indulgent snacks to go with it. I love the British tradition of afternoon tea, but I find finger sandwiches in hotel lobbies a little too fussy. I would much rather a fortifying savoury sandwich, a slab of good, old-fashioned cake and buttery biscuits that crumble into a million sweet crumbs.

Lemon and elderflower drizzle cake (pictured top)

This very simple cake can be baked in a regular cake tin, but cooking it in a bundt tin makes it much more of a showstopper. If you want to forgo the icing, serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and berries instead.

Prep 5 min
Cook 55 min, plus cooling
Serves 10

225g softened unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
225g self-raising flour
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp milk
150g icing sugar
Elderflowers, or edible flowers, to decorate (optional)

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and generously butter the insides of a 2.4-litre bundt tin; use a pastry brush to get into every crevice.

Whisk the butter and sugar with an electric whisk or in a stand mixer, until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking them in well between each addition, then whisk in a tablespoon of elderflower cordial. Finally, sift in the flour, add the lemon zest and milk, and fold in with a metal spoon.

Pour the batter into the greased tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, then carefully take it out of the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, mix the lemon juice with the remaining tablespoon of elderflower cordial, then whisk in the icing sugar a few tablespoons at the time, until smooth and runny. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake, decorate with elderflowers or edible flowers, if you like, then slice and serve.

Lime and passion fruit curd yo-yos

Ravinder Bhogal’s lime and passion fruit curd yo-yos.

The curd lends a tart contrast to these otherwise sweet biscuits.

Prep 5 min
Cook 45 min
Makes 16

250g softened unsalted butter
60g icing sugar
1 big pinch fine salt
Finely grated zest of 2 limes, plus 2 tbsp juice
225g plain flour
75g cornflour

For the filling
60g softened unsalted butter
120g icing sugar
1 pinch fine salt
1 tsp lime juice
75g passion fruit curd

Heat the oven to 160C (140C fan)/325F/gas 3 and line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper.

Put the butter, sugar, salt and lime zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream until pale and fluffy. Beat in the flour, cornflour and lime juice until the mix just comes together; do not overbeat or you’ll end up with tough biscuits.

Measure out level tablespoons of the batter, roll them into balls and arrange on the baking sheets spaced well apart. Press down gently with the tines of a fork to flatten, then bake for 15-18 minutes, swapping the trays around halfway, until pale golden. Leave the biscuits to cool slightly on the trays, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

For the filling, beat the butter, icing sugar, salt and lime juice in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Once the biscuits have cooled, spread half of them with the filling and top the rest with a half-teaspoon each of passion fruit curd. Sandwich the halves together and serve.

Bloody mary prawn brioche rolls

Ravinder Bhogal’s bloody mary prawn brioche rolls.

Feel free to swap out the ketchup for sriracha, if you like your sandwich a little spikier.

Prep 15 min
Cook 15 min
Chill 2 hr
Serves 4

50ml vodka
50ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white-wine vinegar
½ tsp coriander seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
1 small banana shallot, peeled and finely sliced
1 long red chilli, split in half lengthways
1 small garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
400g cooked prawns
½ iceberg lettuce, shredded
4 brioche rolls, sliced open and buttered
4 large, thick slices fresh tomato
Black pepper
Celery salt

For the dressing
6 tbsp good-quality mayonnaise
2 tbsp ketchup
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
A generous shake of Tabasco, plus extra to serve
Worcestershire sauce, to taste

In a shallow dish, mix the vodka, olive oil, vinegar, coriander seeds, shallots, chilli, garlic, lemon zest and juice. Add the prawns, stir to coat, then chill in the fridge for two hours.

Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl, then taste and adjust accordingly.

Fish the prawns out of their marinade, then divide the dressing, lettuce and prawns between the buttered buns. Top each one with a slice of tomato, season the tomatoes with black pepper, celery salt and more Tabasco, if desired, and top with the bun lid.