8 things to do in London this Mother’s Day

This coming Sunday (March 15th), is Mother’s Day here in the UK. Don’t worry if you’ve forgotten. You’re not a bad person. Probably.

The truth is that Mother’s Day is one of the most confusing events on the calendar, perhaps thanks to the fact that it’s celebrated in different days in different countries. Here in the UK it’s become bound up with Mothering Sunday – a religious observance that occurs on the fourth Sunday in Lent, and which was originally intended to honour the place where one was baptised (the so-called ‘mother church’).

In these secularised times we’re more often encouraged to treat the day as an opportunity to spend time and money on the person who birthed and/or raised us. Which, when you put it like that, isn’t an entirely unreasonable request, regardless of any cynical commercial subtext.

Thankfully, those of us living in or simply visiting the UK capital this Sunday have plenty of options when it comes to distinct ways to spoil our mothers.

Regardless of budget or taste, we reckon there’s something on this list that will put you in the parental good books for, ooh, at least the next week or so.

Visit Columbia Road Flower Market

We’ve recommended Columbia Road’s flower market before for other occasions, but it serves beautifully as a Mother’s Day destination. Why turn up with a grotty bunch of flowers from Tesco when you could take your mother to a beautifully preserved Victorian street and have her choose her own bouquet from one of the best selections in the capital? Yes, it’ll cost you a fair bit more, but the extra kudos points will be invaluable. If you’re feeling really flush, take mum for a bite to eat at Brawn around the corner, or for an elevated Sunday lunch at The Marksman.

• Find out more here

Take her for afternoon tea

If you’re talking pampering bangs for your bucks, you can’t do much better than a good afternoon tea. The best examples of this holy British ritual will serve you a mountain of indulgent nibbles and an optional spot of booze in a luxurious location – often for less than the price of a bog standard lunch. If money is tight, consider The Gate at the Harbour Hotel, which gives you all the affluent glamour of leafy Richmond at a much lower price (usually starting from £29.95 per person) than the central London big hitters.

• Book here

Take her for a tipple

For some people, it’s practically obligatory to get Mum a little squiffy on Mother’s Day. The weather forecast for Sunday (at the time of writing) is a little cool and cloudy, if dry. While a rooftop bar is a possibility, then, you’ll want the choice to withdraw to a warmer environment if things get nippy. Check out Kaso, the bar at the top of the One Hundred hotel in Shoreditch for sunny vibes and primo rooftop views whatever the weather.

• Book here

Catch a show

You can scarcely move in London without running into a brilliant play or show of some kind. We can scarcely think of a more Mother’s Day-friendly show right now than the new production of Shadowlands at the Aldwych Theatre. This take on author C.S. Lewis’s relationship with American writer Joy Davidman casts Mum’s favourite Hugh Bonneville as Lewis and the brilliant Maggie Siff (Mad Men, Billions, Sons of Anarchy) as Davidman. Otherwise there’s always the ever-reliable Hamilton, currently showing at the Victoria Palace Theatre

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Immerse yourself in jazz

Perhaps your mother prefers Miles Davis to mimosas, Coltrane to cakes, and Charlie Parker to choccies. For a more musically inclined activity this Mother’s Day, get jazzed up to the nines and head on over to the Southbank Centre. The hallowed London venue has teamed up with Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival for a weekend of talks, workshops, and live performances. We’d recommend that you get in there on Friday and/or Saturday to make the most of it, but Mother’s Day itself culminates in a performance from modern jazz fusion phenom corto.alto, who is always worth checking out.

• Book tickets here

Take her to see The Bride starring Jessie Buckley

Perhaps you and your mother hold no truck with the cloying commerciality of the traditional Mother’s Day festivities. One potential alternative activity is to go and see Maggie Gyllenhaal’s offbeat remake of The Bride of Frankenstein, which has just hit cinemas. It stars Mum’s favourite – heck, people’s favourite – Jessie Buckley as a resurrected Mary Shelley, let loose to enact carnage on 1930s Chicago alongside Christian Bale’s stitched up monster. At the time of writing, The Curzon Sea Containers has a 2:20pm showing, and they’re offering a deal that gets you two tickets, popcorn and wine for £50.

• Find out more here

Sample some serious chocolate

If your mum is someone for whom Mother’s Day isn’t complete without a little sweet treat, why not spoil her this year? London is full to the brim with high quality chocolate makers, and while none of them are exactly what you’d call cheap (stop reading right now if you’re only thinking of spending Guylian money), they certainly cover a reasonable range of budgets. Check out Maison Pierre Marcolini in Notting Hill for some seriously high-end choc, or Dark Sugars in Brick Lane (also Greenwich) for something a little more grounded, if no less fabulous.

• Find out more here

Take a perfume-making masterclass

Buying some smellies for your Mum is a bit of a Mother’s Day cliché, so why not go the extra mile this year? The London Refinery is running a two hour perfume-making class from 2:30pm. It’ll start out teaching you how your sense of smell works, before moving onto the various fragrance families, and finally to the matter of formulating your own bespoke blend. Each participant will go home with a 10ml fragrance of their own. Even better: it’s being held in the upstairs room of a nice Notting Hill pub, should you wish to partake of a different kind of concoction.

• Book tickets here

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