You can smell spring in the air and the trees have a glorious green hue around them! Easter is a lovely holiday and so much more laid back than Christmas. No bank-breaking turkey, scratching your heads for present ideas or invasions of ‘must-have-them-round-once-a-year’ relations. We hope for a sunny Easter Sunday, a chocolate egg hunt and a leisurely lunch – at least those of us who have sensibly decided to stay at home. Others will probably spend Easter queuing at Heathrow.
I’m baking the first batch of hot cross buns today and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Traditional, wholemeal or chocolate? You can try all three.
I’ll also be baking Italian Easter dove cake, colomba di Pasqua. It’s a distant cousin of panettone, so expect a whole day devoted to kneading and watching dough rise, but the result is amazing. If you’d like a challenge, there are also bun-e-ttone: my recipe for a cross between panettone and hot cross buns, totally delightful.
But if you prefer lazy baking, make a batch of English Sedgemoor biscuits or Greek koulourakia. You should definitely though have a family session of making your own chocolate eggs!
For Easter Sunday lunch, a roast leg of lamb is traditional, or apple braised gammon. For a vegetarian option consider mushroom and fondue filo pie, served with leek slaw, or a cabbage lasagne. Both are likely to tempt the meat eaters too!
Have a lovely Easter break!