A well-deserved four days off for many in the UK filled with hot cross buns, Easter eggs and roast dinners, Easter is a weekend to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and also to enjoy fantastic foods and time with the family.
Every year Easter falls on a different date because it is based off the Lunar calendar. It falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. Easter, at its heart, is about spending time together and is celebrated as a joyous holiday.
Traditional Easter eggs represent a Christian custom; eggs symbolised new life and the arrival of Spring. During the forty-day period of lent traditionally eggs are not allowed to be eaten and so they were stored and then eaten on Easter to celebrate the end of lent and Jesus’s resurrection. Over time this evolved into eating chocolate eggs on Easter and Easter egg hunts for young children to enjoy.
Celebrating Easter doesn’t have to be a meticulous event. It can be as simple as running a small Easter egg hunt in the garden or enjoying some chocolate eggs whilst watching a fun Easter movie.
Easter dinner is a warm, comforting and hearty meal. A classic Easter dinner usually features lamb, ham or chicken accompanied by spring potatoes, vegetables and delicious desserts. Some of our favourite dessert ideas include classic hot cross buns, festive Easter nest cakes (see recipe at the bottom) and rich chocolate cakes.
Fact: Pretzels also used to join in the Easter festivities because of their shape which resembled arms crossed in prayer.
In Scotland, some families also decorate hard boiled eggs and roll them down the hill in a fun competition to see who’s egg cracks last. The rolling of eggs symbolises the stone rolling away from Jesus’s tomb.
At Inspire Catering, we see Easter as a day to be enjoyed by all, whether that be simply a warm dinner together or a day out rolling eggs up the hills.
A great and easy recipe to bake on your own or as a family on Easter is Easter nests. Prepare and bake in less than 40 minutes and serve them for everyone to enjoy:
Ingredients
- 225g/8oz dark chocolate or a mix of dark and milk chocolate, broken into small pieces (see Recipe Tip)
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 50g/2oz butter
- 75g/2¾oz cornflakes or puffed rice cereal
- 36 mini chocolate eggs
Method
- Line a 12-hole fairy cake tin with paper cases.
- Melt the chocolate, golden syrup and butter in a bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water). Stir the mixture occasionally until smooth.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and gently stir in the cornflakes until all of the cereal is coated in the chocolate.
- Divide the mixture between the paper cases and press 3 chocolate eggs into the centre of each nest. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour, or until completely set.
BBC GoodFood recipe