Photo by Petrina Tinslay
While Easter doesn’t have quite the panoply of seasonal must-haves of Christmas, regular readers will know well that for me Easter demands certain sweet treats which I return to eagerly each year ritualistically. Chief among these, of course, is my Easter Egg Nest Cake, but I still look back fondly to the time when my children were little and making Easter Egg Nests was the order of the day. Simnel Cake and Hot Cross Buns clamour for their annual outing, and I see no reason to resist the call, even if my Hot Cross Buns are a bit on the ramshackle side! Still, while they may not have the smooth finish and consistently symmetrical sizing of industrially made ones, I know which I’d rather eat.
Photo by James Merrell
Photo by James Merrell
I’ve never seen the point of shying away from repeating the same recipes year in, year out – such practices give meaning to life, after all – but it can be good to expand one’s repertoire, and this year I’ve added a couple of recipes to the site to encourage just that. A couple of years ago I decided to adopt the Roman Easter tradition of making Maritozzi (although it’s true, they’re no longer exclusively an Easter offering in Italy) and my version of these fabulous cream buns are a doddle to make and a divine treat to eat.
Photo by Nigella
Now, I do love an Easter egg, and although I haven’t taken into my head to try and make my own, I have found room in my heart and in my kitchen for Easter Egg Biscuits, and there is now no turning back! These jam-filled sandwich cookies just fill my heart with joy and put a spring in my step, and I hope they do the same for you! And I should also tell you that these biscuits are this month’s Cookalong. It should be easy to find egg-shaped cookie-cutters right now, but do not fear: you can use whatever shape of cookie cutter you wish for your Cookalong entry, and you can find all the details here.
Photo by Ella Miller for Ocado
It remains only for me to wish you all a wonderful time and to announce that the annual Easter Egg Hunt is now live on the site! It begins today, Monday 14th April, and you have till the end of the day on Monday 21st April to enter and complete the challenge. And this year the prize is the fabulously covetable Scanpan Impact 6 piece cookware set. As ever, of course, the runners-up will win a prize, too, in the form of a personalized and signed copy of my book FEAST. The details of how to enter are on this link and please note that it’s free to enter, and open to anyone anywhere. Have fun, and Happy Easter!
