Easter and beyond: it is sad Easter this year, spent with the same people we’ve been shut with for the last three weeks; hopefully still getting on ok. We’re not visiting family or meeting friends because we love them. And Easter eggs are out, being non-essential indulgence – or so some think.
What about making your own then? That’s allowed! Mini creme eggs are fun to make; yes, you need a mould but in the best ‘needs-must’ style you could use the egg tray from the fridge.
Bake a Simnel cake: the yeasted version or the really easy sponge version, both decorated with homemade marzipan. And you could coat the leftover marzipan in the leftover egg-making chocolate for marzipan truffles. There are also Sedgemoor biscuits for the kids to make – or at least to ice.
It’s not going to be a massive leg of lamb roast on Easter Sunday but maybe a crusted rack of lamb. And perhaps the cider braised gammon won’t be an option for Easter Monday so you could roast a couple of ham hocks. Frozen vegetables to go with it, and some smashed roasted potatoes.
Beyond Easter it’s still a lockdown so we must keep occupied; baking at the moment is the only thing to give you semblance of being in control – unless the cake burns or the bread fails to rise. Soft white baps won’t let you down, nor will the wholemeal morning rolls. And for sourdough disciples, here’s the best recipe for baguettes. And don’t forget bagels! Instead of constantly WhatsApping neighbours going to Tesco, bake your own – it really isn’t that hard.
I might make chicken nuggets one day this week because that’s comfort food and we all need it now. But I’ll have them with zingy carrot salad because that’s healthy and we need to stay that way too. I’d like to make stir fried salmon too, and perhaps homemade burgers in homemade buns – that’s a simple pleasure; we need those so much.
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