Miother's Day: Treat your mum to some delicious fine dining

YOU might be reading this with a smug, knowing smile. This year you have paid attention to the signs in card shop windows, have the date circled in your diary and have even placed your order at the florists and secured a hand-tied bouquet of her favourite blooms ahead of tomorrow.

Ah yes, this year you have Mother's Day sewn up. But, as any mum will testify, it is experiences that count – a little quality time with her children. So treat mum this year to the ultimate Mother's Day gift in the form of a fine dining experience to remember.

At Number One, we are offering an exclusive lunch for families, but if you haven't secured your booking then you can offer Michelin-star cooking at home. . . with a little preparation and some key recipes.

When devising a stunning menu, pick out luxury ingredients with focus on locally-sourced produce. Lobsters are in season right now and are the epitome of fine dining. A good local fishmonger will be able to prepare fresh lobster for you if the thought of dealing with it all seems a bit too much.

Lobster is delicious when served simply – try it with clarified butter for dipping, tossed through linguine with a parsley cream sauce or with a crisp green salad.

Spring lamb is just coming into season now and, although traditionally served at Easter, it's a flavoursome and succulent meat. Shoulder of lamb is beautiful when slow roasted in the oven, releasing all the flavour and reducing the meat to melt-in-the-mouth perfection.

Nothing beats serving a roast with lots of steaming hot seasonal vegetables. Scotland has such great growing conditions for produce and makes getting top quality vegetables so simple.

It's always good to support your local greengrocer, so get down the road and see what's on offer. Carrots are lovely at the moment, as are kale and cabbage.

The ideal way to round off any Mother's Day dinner is with a deliciously decadent pudding. Depending on mum's taste, this is the time to satisfy her sweet tooth. Whether it is a sticky pudding, a light meringue or a bit of home baking, make sure that mum is in no doubt how much you love her.

Craig Sandle is head chef of the Michelin-starred Number One at The Balmoral, www.thebalmoralhotel.com, 0131-556 2414