Jimmy Doherty, Katie Piper and Alexandra Burke

Three stars talk about the dishes that evoke special memories of their mums.Chef Jimmy Doherty, 42, lives on a farm in Suffolk with his wife and their three daughters.‘I was raised in Clavering, a village in the heart of Essex, though my mum grew up in the East End of London. She had lived through rationing, so our household was very resourceful.<img alt="jimmy-doherty" class="ci-image ci-original" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/jimmy-doherty_GL?scl=1" style="height: 449px; width: 300px;">She&rsquo;d never let food go to waste and always turned leftovers into a tasty new meal. She used to make this <a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/jimmy-dohertys-sausage-pie" target="_blank">hearty pie</a> out of leftover turkey, sausage or any other meat and the whole family loved tucking into it! I&rsquo;ve definitely inherited her no-waste mentality.<img alt="sausage-pie__square" class="ci-image ci-square" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/sausage-pie__square_GL?scl=1">Thanks to Mum, I became kitchen-savvy at a young age. If she worked late, I&rsquo;d crack on with making dinner. By the time I went to uni, I was quite accomplished &ndash; I&rsquo;d make bread, grow veg and buy fish from the market. I&rsquo;m so grateful to Mum for encouraging my culinary independence!&rsquo;Author and TV presenter Katie Piper, 34, lives in London with her husband and their two daughters.<img alt="kp" class="ci-image ci-original" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/kp_GL?scl=1" style="height: 508px; width: 350px;">‘My mum is an amazing cook. Her <a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/katie-piper-shepherds-pie" target="_blank">shepherd&rsquo;s pie</a> is legendary &ndash; the recipe was from an old cookbook but she&rsquo;d adapted it. Her trick? Stir in a teaspoon of diluted Marmite to bring out the umami flavours of the meat. Genius! It was incredible at the best of times but, at weekends, when mum surprised us with a crispy, cheesy topping or by blending a dollop of double cream into the mash, it&rsquo;d be extra indulgent.<img alt="shepherds-pie-katie-piper__square" class="ci-image ci-square" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/shepherds-pie-katie-piper__square_GL?scl=1">'Growing up, I cherished our family meal time &ndash; no matter what we were eating, it was a time when we all grouped together to chat about things like school, hobbies and our plans for the weekend. I&rsquo;m now carrying on that dinner-time tradition with my own family. After my daughter Belle, three, was born, Mum passed the recipe down to me and Belle loves it!'I adore my mum. We have such a special bond and we&rsquo;ve been through a lot together. I cannot thank her enough for the strength that she has instilled in me. I can&rsquo;t wait to pass her recipe onto my own kids!&rsquo;Singer Alexandra Burke, 29, lives in Hertfordshire with her fiancé.‘I can still remember coming home after playing with my friends to the delicious smell of Mum&rsquo;s rock cakes baking at our house in Holloway, north London. Mum [Soul II Soul singer Melissa Bell] sadly passed away last year, so memories like this &ndash; of her doing something caring and kind &ndash; are of great comfort to me.<img alt="alexandra-burke__square" class="ci-image ci-square" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/alexandra-burke__square_GL?scl=1">'Mum was my biggest inspiration in music but I admired her cooking prowess, too. As a single mum of four, she was fastidious about putting good, nutritious food on the table. I respected that immensely and have learned by her example.<img alt="rock-cakes__square" class="ci-image ci-square" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/rock-cakes_GL?scl=1">'I got engaged just before Christmas last year and, just as <a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/alexandra-burke-rock-cakes" target="_blank">Mum&rsquo;s rock cakes</a> became a family custom, I hope to hand over the recipe to my own children some day. Little traditions like that will help keep her memory alive.&rsquo;

3 celebrities share their mothers' best recipes

By Asda Good Living,8th March 2018

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