Carol Savage with Deborah Meaden

1. Plan the Easter dinner weeks ahead
If you are making a big family meal for Easter, plan your Easter menu weeks ahead of the big day. Most grocery items go on sale in 12 week cycles, so if you plan in advance you can save money on reduced price produce, and also reduce the stress of leaving a big shop until the last minute.

2. Use your Easter leftovers
If you do have a big family meal, make sure you make the most of your leftovers. Any meat leftovers such as ham or lamb can create a delicious stew or shepherd’s pie. Vegetables can be pureed to create a luscious curry or soup.

3. Traditionally Easter morning is sacred, so have a big family brunch
If you’re not a fan of a big Easter meal, invite a few friends and family over for a delicious Easter brunch. Hot cross buns are light, tasty options, as well as being symbolic. They’re also great fun to make and the kids will love putting the crosses on the top. Check out www.mydish.co.uk for some tasty recipes.

4. Easter picnic
Embrace spring with a traditional picnic. As Easter is late this year, try taking your lunch outside. There are lots of delicious picnic recipes. Try making a seasonal quiche with lots of fresh vegetables such as leeks or peas. If you’re feeling extravagant try a cheesey, bacony, quiche Lorraine.

5. Make an Easter bunny cake
Make a delicious Easter bunny cake to delight the children! Produce a traditional sponge cake base, and cut it into a bunny shape. Use vanilla flavoured icing for a thick bunny coat, jellybeans for a cute nipped-in nose, and marshmallows for a fluffy tail.

6. Have a traditional egg hunt
Hide eggs around the house and let the children search for them. If you don’t want the children eating too much chocolate, alternate between painted hard-boiled eggs and chocolate eggs. This way, the children will not only get the fun of the Easter egg hunt, but they will also get the joy of being creative and decorating their own eggs.

7. Make your own chocolate eggs
Hollow Easter eggs are boring. For 2011 why not make your own creative Easter egg truffles – it’s not just a unique gift option, but it’s also a much more fun! To make an Easter egg truffle combine chocolate, cream and butter, with any other tasty options of your choice – vanilla essence, chopped fruit and nuts all make great truffle combinations. Roll the mixture into an egg shape, and dunk the egg into melted chocolate. Exciting, extravagant and delicious.

8. There’s more to Easter than eggs
If you’re inundated with chocolate eggs, melt them down and produce homemade Easter desserts for the family. Rice-crispy nests, for example, are a fantastic alternative to chocolate eggs, whilst still being tasty and seasonal.

9. Simnel cake is a traditional Easter recipe
Simnel cake is the perfect Easter treat. Simnel cake is a rich, fruity cake made with almond paste or marzipan. Traditionally decorated with marzipan balls and decorative chicks, this is the perfect Easter tea-time treat.

10. Easter cookies
Believe it or not, not everyone likes chocolate! For those who either don’t like, or are intolerant to chocolate try some chocolate-free Easter alternatives. As well as traditional Simnel cake, try making chick, bunny or egg shaped cookies. They can always be decorated with melted chocolate for those who truly cannot bear to be without chocolate in the Easter season.

By James Massoud