Easter Feasting

Gather friends and family and settle around a table laden with delicious fare – a wonderful way to celebrate the Easter break. 

The weather’s still behaving, the last of the summer produce is singing with flavour and there’s four days off to get creative in the kitchen. Deciding on a menu for a long Easter Sunday meal throws up a host of choices.

To narrow down the options, why not do some research on the various traditional dishes from Easter celebrations around the world and take your tastebuds on a journey. Whole spit-roasted lamb is an Easter tradition in Greece, but a leg of lamb flavoured with fresh oregano and lemon zest would be a delicious stand-in. In France, a starter of quiche or omelette is usually followed by lamb, Italy is much the same but swap out the quiche for a pasta starter. For a sweet ending, choose from the many international Easter baking treats such as Mona de Pascua, a sweet Catalonian Easter cake decorated with hard-boiled eggs, or Kulich, a Russian sweet, yeast-risen bread with raisins, almonds and candied orange peel. We love the sound of a Mexican bread-and-butter type pudding called Capirotada enjoyed around Easter – buttered and lightly toasted slices of French bread are layered with raisins and cheddar-style cheese (you could also add fruit such as banana and apple and nuts such as almonds and pine nuts) and then a sugar syrup, infused with cinnamon and cloves, is poured over the top before baking.

For a shared lunch, you could always assign a country to each guest and see what turns up… Get the children to decorate the table by using eggs, placed in egg cups, as name cards with the flags of participating nations as inspiration. Party favours in the form of small Easter eggs tied up with cellophane and ribbon also look a treat on the table.

If you’re after a more contemporary Kiwi take on the holiday, we’ve rounded up some recipes to pick and choose from to create a feast of delicious memories this Easter.

Options to start: 

• Marinated Artichoke, Blue Cheese and Green Olive Pizza (pictured above)
• Kumara and Feta Filo Parcels
• Hot Smoked Salmon, Spinach and Tarragon Pie

Options for mains:

• Roast Pork with Mixed Capsicums and Borlotti Beans
• Black Peppercorn and Coriander Chicken

Options to accompany:

• Freekeh, Smoked Chicken and Artichoke Salad
• Rhubarb, Couscous and Haloumi Salad