11-05-2025
The Best Thing to Make Mom for Mother's Day, According to Jamie Oliver
Celebrity chef, cookbook author and restaurateur Jamie Oliver has been sharing his simple and delicious recipes with fans for years. Way back in 1999, Oliver burst onto the scene as the star of The Naked Chef, his show that focused on stripping recipes back to their essential elements. Over the years, he's written more than 30 cookbooks, founded a restaurant group, worked hard to make school lunch (in the U.K. and the U.S.) better, and built a family with his wife, Jools. And this weekend, Jools will be the one getting the special Jamie Oliver treatment, as the chef and the couple's five (yes, five!) kids celebrate her for Mother's help you honor the moms in your life in a Jamie Oliver-approved manner, we asked the chef—and one of the stars of the upcoming season of Chef's Table: Legends on Netflix—for his best Mother's Day menu advice when we caught up with him over brunch at Jamie's Italian on the Royal Caribbean ship Symphony of the Seas.
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Brunch is a popular meal for Mother's Day, but Oliver prefers to kick off things a bit earlier. "I think on Mother's Day, it's just nice to cook her anything," he says. "People always say, 'What is the best recipe for Mother's Day?' I'm like, literally anything will make her very emotional. But I think breakfast is always a really good one."
Oliver grew up cooking with his parents (his dad was a chef and his mom is a great cook), so he'll make sure to include the kiddos in the Mother's Day fun. For Jools, he likes to make a breakfast tray of her favorite things and puts some of the kids on decorating duty. "You make it all nice with flowers. Kids do all the little, you know, cards and stuff. I think just making it sentimental is the way [to go]," he says.
And what exactly should be on the breakfast tray? It all depends on what your mom loves, but the mix of things Oliver makes for Jools might provide helpful inspiration. "My wife always loves crunchy savory pancakes, avocado, smoked salmon and fresh, little salsas," he says. "She loves really good bread and amazing jam. I get her favorite one. She's also obsessed with coffee."
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You can find tons of recipe inspiration on Oliver's website, but here are a few ideas that might help you build your perfect Mother's Day breakfast tray.
Jools is a fan of crunchy, savory pancakes, which immediately made us think of latkes. This recipe starts with easy potato pancakes, then adds on all sorts of delicious toppings so Mom can build her perfect bite.
This fun take on avocado toast is a good way to make the meal feel surprising and special. If you're not sure your mom will like it, you can serve the banana and avocado toast separately and then assemble a few bites as an experiment for a fun family activity.
Crispy feta fried eggs went viral almost two years ago and we've yet to grow tired of them. It's hard to beat the combination of crispy cheese, creamy avocado, soft tortilla and a runny egg yolk that pulls it all together. We suspect Mom would approve!
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