A Local Easter Feast

Easter foods go beyond the typical chocolate eggs we wake up to on Easter Sunday. On the Foodful blog, we look at these wonderful local foods which are perfect for an Easter feast with the family. Enjoy the Easter Bank Holiday weekend with your favourite foods and some seasonal suggestions.

From Farm to Fork

Enjoy local food on Easter Sunday by celebrating with a traditional roast. Here are some suggestions for food to eat that you can find locally. The season of Spring and the Easter festival itself represents new life and transformations as we shake off our winter coats, embrace the warmer temperatures and fresh foods awaiting us.

An Easter Feast

Get the table set for a show-stopping, local food-filled feast to share with family and friends over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Mains

Lamb

Lamb is the most traditionally eaten food over the Easter weekend. Roast lamb legs, loins or shoulder for an impressive main event. Many butchers across the Scottish Borders and Northumberland will stock meat from the Lammermuir Lion. Most of the local lamb available at this time of year will actually be known as a hogg or hogget as typical spring lamb is at its best at the end of summer into early autumn. Also delicious for your table is mutton, which is available all year around and a lot more sustainable.

Most lamb meat that is available at this time of year is imported, with the majority coming all the way from New Zealand! British Lamb season typically starts at the beginning of Autumn which is why the best alternative is either hogget or mutton for your table, as this can be found locally.

Serve roast hogget loin with a sloe gin sauce made from Sloe Crafts sloe gin. Alternatively, select herbs from your local greengrocer or request in your next veg box to be roasted alongside lemons for a fresh spring flavour.

Alternatively, indulge in a mutton stew if the weather fails to provide warm sunshine with chunks of sourdough bread and butter.

Ham

Ham is a popular meat served at seasonal festivities like Easter. Ham is easier to find and generally cheaper than hogget. Serve ham in a similar way to lamb, with a sloe gin sauce, cover with a marmalade glaze, made from Tarset Valley Marmalade, or serve with stewed forced rhubarb which is in season.

Eggs

Chocolate eggs may be the first things that come to mind. Many chickens lay the majority of their eggs during Spring and Summer as a result of longer daylight hours. Fresh eggs are great for baking, but they can also be the main event at your Easter Lunch. Classic light lunches such as quiche, kedgeree or scotch eggs.

If you’d rather something more classic for your main event, eggs make fantastic dressing and sauces to go with side dishes or boiled to add to salads.

Eggs are also a top breakfast and brunch favourite accompanied with bacon or avocado.

Find good quality free-range eggs from R Ord & Hens near Chatton and organic eggs from Border Eggs.

Vegetables

Seeing green vegetables in various hues signals the beginning of Spring and a welcome change to our diets. Salads are back on the menu and lightly cooked, steamed veg is a must to accompany a roast. Look out for seasonal spring greens, spinach, asparagus and watercress in your veg boxes or at the greengrocers.

New season potatoes may start to emerge towards the end of the month when Easter occurs. Check out Fingerling potatoes from Carroll’s Heritage Potatoes. Serve roasted with rosemary and chives or create a delicious dauphinoise side dish.

Dessert

Top of the meal with delicious classic puddings from The Proof of the Pudding. We recommend the Steamed Marmalade Sponge Pudding or Steamed Apricot and Almond Pudding served with custard or fresh cream from Northumbrian Pedigree.

Other classics such as hot cross buns served with Tarset Valley Marmalade and Simnel Cake can either be homemade or most local bakeries, such as Lough’s Home Bakery in Eyemouth, Forsyth’s in Peebles and Fords in Norham and Berwick upon Tweed, will offer them from now till Easter.

Drink

Kombucha Bellini

Serve No 4 Darjeeling by Left Field Kombucha and top with pureed peach or apricot. Garnish with some fresh raspberries and mint.

Hot Cross Bun Gin

DeliQuescent has another innovative gin flavour for another festive treat. Enjoy some Hot Cross Bun gin over ice or with ginger ale.

Sparkling Mead

We recommend serving Wildflower Sparkling Mead with starters, mains or brunch and Rose Sparkling Mead with desserts and sweet treats both from the Northumberland Honey Company. The Wildflower has delicate floral notes but it dry and suits many foods. The Rose has light fruity tastes perfect for drinking alongside spring puddings.

Iced Tea

Make homemade non-alcoholic iced tea with loose leaf tea from Bari Tea. Try traditional Earl Grey, already with a herby, floral taste and aroma, brew with hot water for 5 mins before adding cold water and ice. Top up with accompaniments such as lemon and orange wedges, fresh mint and a spoonful of Tweedside Honey from Chain Bridge Honey Farm.

For an alcoholic kick, add a 50 ml shot of small batch Vodka from The Borders Distillery. A bottle of Fentiman’s Victorian Lemonade would be a great addition too!

Joyful Food

Now Spring is in full swing, climb out of the pantry and enjoy fresh seasonal produce across Northumberland and Scottish Borders. Share with us your favourite Easter treats and dishes.

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