Lamb Shoulder With Samphire And Red Pepper Sauce
Waitrose
You can, of course, never go wrong with slow-cooked lamb, mint sauce and a roast (or, even better, dauphinoise) potato. But if you’d like to try a new spin on the classic lamb lunch, why not take Waitrose’s suggestion and try it with the delicious saltiness of in-season samphire (which does, we think, taste precisely of the seaside in springtime), some black olives and a punchy red pepper sauce? Potatoes too, of course. Always potatoes. Find the recipe here.
Spring Vegetable Tart
Good Housekeeping
Committed carnivores all too often sneer at the attempts of those trying to go easy on the meat, taunting the would-be veggie-curious that life without fleshier delights is bound to be dreary. This vibrant tart proves them wrong decisively. Made using seasonal veg, it is enlivened by bright pink radishes; layered with creaminess thanks to the ricotta; and given crunch thanks to the walnuts. What’s more, it’s easy and environmentally friendly. One to make on Easter Day and all season long. Serve with a tomato and red onion salad doused in vinaigrette and a hunk of sourdough bread. Find the recipe here.
Leftover Lamb Pilau
BBC/ Romy Gill
If you, like us, tend towards over-catering, then having good leftovers recipes up your sleeve is vital. We like this one from Romy Gil for the BBC since it uses up both meat and veg yet turns them into a wholly distinct and absolutely delicious meal. Find the recipe here.
Easter Simnel Cake
Olive Magazine
We cannot resist a fruit cake. And, having demolished our Christmas efforts some weeks ago, it is high time we replenished our stores. Thank goodness then for Easter and its traditional Simnel Cake, whose eleven marzipan balls represent the disciples of Jesus (not counting traitor Judas). We especially like the crimped, scalloped edges of Olive Magazine’s take. Find the recipe here.
Mary Berry’s Hot Cross Buns
BBC
Breakfast, teatime or for pudding: we’ll take our hot cross buns any time of the day. Yes, you can buy them inexpensively in the supermarket. But why not have a go at your own? The wonderful Mary Berry shows us how with her fool-proof recipe. Sure, it takes two hours, but just think of the satisfaction as you serve them up with the generous amounts of butter she advises. Find the recipe here.
Easter Egg Nest Cake
Delicious Magazine
For a less traditional but no less moreish spin on Easter baking, we are taken with Delicious Magazine’s chocolate Easter egg nest cake, which comes from that other queen of bakes: Nigella Lawson. It’s easy, it’s marvellously moist and it is, of course, topped with little colourful and crunchy mini eggs. What is there not to adore? Find the recipe here.
Image: bacalhauchronicles.blogspot.com
Easter Cookies
National Trust
Got a few mini eggs left over? Why not put them to very good use with The National Trust’s recipe for Easter cookies? Made using chiefly store cupboard ingredients, they’re inexpensive and uncomplicated to make, will please the hordes after long springtime walks, and they’re dangerously moreish. A great one to have up your sleeve for visiting children (and adults) this Easter. Find the recipe here.
Pappardelle With Lamb Ragu
Nigella
If you want to have lamb on Easter Day but not the fuss of rustling up a whole roast, try this lovely ragu from Nigella, which is wildly tasty thanks to the mint, oregano, chillies and Worcestershire sauce. A low key yet perfect feast to devour as a family or a deux, washed down with a glass of good red. Find the recipe here.
Italian Easter Bread
Great British Chefs/ Nisha Thomas
When it comes to food of a celebratory persuasion, Italians always know best. This sweet bread features a dyed egg at its centre, which slowly cooks as the bake is in the oven, while its beautiful braids symbolise rebirth and new life. It works beautifully torn apart and eaten fresh but is equally delicious toasted and buttered for breakfast. Find the recipe here.
By Nancy Alsop
April 2023
