An Easter feast to celebrate spring

The Easter holidays will be with us soon and – hopefully – accompanied by some fine spring weather to allow us to get outside and maybe enjoy our first alfresco meal of the year. Both the starter and main dishes are fresh and tasty and the pudding is great fun for all ages – and none will break the bank if you’ve got a crowd coming round!

Griddled Pears With Blue Cheese And Walnuts

Lamb Biriyani

Pain Au Chocolat Pudding

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METHOD

Peel and quarter the pears, then griddle them on a high heat until you have toasty brown lines on either side. If you don’t have a griddle pan, you could use a normal one or grill them. Heat the cream in a pan and crumble in the cheese. Mix until melted, add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over the pears, sprinkle with walnuts and serve on a bed of salad.

It’s traditional to have lamb at Easter but, as it’s so expensive, I’m using lamb mince to create this deliciously fruity biriyani which you can make the day before.

Method

Fry the lamb mince and onions for 20 minutes, add the paste, chilli and garlic and cook for a further five mins. Add the fruit and veg and cook for another five mins. Meanwhile cook your rice (I do mine with a stock cube and turmeric). Mix the rice though the meat mixture then stir through the coriander. Eat straightaway or place in an ovenproof dish, cover and heat through when required. I also made some quick naan bread using equal quantities of self raising flour and plain yogurt. Season and dry fry until cooked.

INGREDIENTS

(Serves six)

900g lamb mince

Mug and a half of rice

1 chopped red onion

2 heaped tbls of your favourite curry paste

Ingredients

(Serves two)

2 firm pears

60g Stilton or other blue cheese

100g single cream

30g walnut pieces

Salt and pepper

2 tsps minced garlic

2tsps fresh or dry chilli

400g chopped veg of choice (frozen will work well)

150g chopped apricots

150g chopped dates

Large handful of roughly chopped coriander

A pudding with a melting surprise

A lovely, easy dish to make, you could also use leftover hot cross buns instead of the pain au chocolat. The mini eggs create a lovely surprise, you crunch through the shell to delicious warm liquid chocolate inside!

METHOD

Cut the pain au chocolat in half and lay in an ovenproof dish cut side up. Make sure they are quite tightly packed. Heat the cream in a saucepan. When warm add the essence, sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Beat the eggs and whisk them into the warm cream. Pour over the pain au chocolat and let the dish sit for a least half an hour. Cook uncovered at 180°C for 35 minutes. As soon as it comes out of the oven, sprinkle over the eggs and let them melt inside for about a further five mins before serving.

Ingredients

(Makes six)

6 pain au chocolat (packaged ones that have a long shelf life are fine)

440mls double cream

4 eggs

2tbs caster sugar

Vanilla essence

Tsp salt

Large pack of mini eggs

Tea

North Widcombe, West Harptree, Bristol BS40 6HW

Sunday 2 April: Spring Flowers & Leafy Greens Foray

Sunday 9 April: Spring Flowers & Leafy Greens Foray – Fully Booked

Sunday 1 October: Autumn Fungi, Fruit & Nuts Foray

Sunday 15 October: Autumn Fungi, Fruit & Nuts Foray

Tea/coffee & biscuits on arrival, seasonal wild food foray, a cook up and tasting of our finds, followed by a light foragers lunch. Adults £65 per person, under 16’s £25 per person (all under 16’s must be accompanied by a full paying adult).