Easter this year also signifies the beginning of spring, which in the culinary world means we say goodbye to the rustic and earthy produce of winter and see the beginnings of such wonders as new season lamb and Jersey Royal potatoes. The countdown to wondrous British asparagus and strawberries is also gaining momentum!
Over the Easter weekend, the perfect Sunday lunch should take precedence; a slow roasted leg of lamb smothered with a roughly blitzed mix of 1 bulb of garlic, ¼ bunch of rosemary and thyme and a generous dash of sea salt. Roughly chop into large chunks 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 leek and 1 bulb of garlic; brown together in the roasting pan until golden then place the leg of lamb on top and bake at 140°C for 2 hours. Remove the lamb and cover in tinfoil then use the roasting juices and vegetables to create a flavoursome gravy to accompany the succulent roast – just add the stock of your choice (chicken or vegetable) and season to taste then strain and serve with a bowlful of steaming Jersey Royals.
Rhubarb is also still in season at Easter time – the forced Yorkshire variety is a beautiful colour with just a slight tanginess and fantastic flavour. Perfect for crumble or a fool to end your luscious lamb roast with!
A great task for you and your children to accomplish over Easter is homemade marshmallow Easter eggs. Take a deep tray and fill with flour then using a fresh egg, stamp out half egg shapes in the flour. Make a basic marshmallow mix (see below) and place into a piping bag. Pipe into the egg indentations then leave to set. Once set remove from the flour, brushing off any excess, and place a small half spoonful of raspberry jam in the centre of half of the eggs. Place another half egg on top to form a whole egg then dip in your favourite melted chocolate; place on parchment paper then in the fridge to set. Wrap in foil once set for a real Easter treat!
We are opening for lunch on Easter Saturday so do come and join us and sample some of our seasonal fare.
Marshmallow
2 free range egg whites
250g caster or granulated sugar
100g water
12 leaves gelatine
Drop of pink food colouring (optional)
Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft, drain off the water and keep the gelatine in the fridge. Bring the sugar and water to a steady boil for 4 minutes. Meanwhile whisk the egg whites on high speed until thick, then pour the boiling syrup into the mix and add the gelatine immediately. Allow to whisk until mixture is thick and fluffy.
