Easter Party Food

Easter Cooking

The lead-up to Easter is called Lent (which last for 40 days starting on Ash Wednesday), a time for Christians to repent and fast in preparation for the celebration of Easter.

Easter is a time to celebrate the resurrection and is an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends enjoying good food and each other’s company after the fasting of Lent.
Easter celebrates new life, it is a happy time when churches hold special celebration services on Easter Sunday. An Easter Party can be held on any day over the holiday weekend and at UK-Entertainers we have compiled a selection of ideas for Easter Party Food to make your preparation easier. You may find our other articles “Easter Party Games” and “Easter Decorations” of help, along with our FREE Easter Party Invitations.

Hot Cross Buns
To Christians, the cross on the bun symbolises the crucifixion, and are traditionally eaten on Good Friday (the Friday before Easter Sunday), but are an ideal warm addition to a party when sliced in half, toasted and spread with butter.

Simnel Cake
Simnel Cake was originally given to mothers on the fourth Sunday of Lent. It is a rich fruit cake with a marzipan centre, and decorated with eleven marzipan balls (depicting the 12 apostles minus Judas – who betrayed Christ). Today the Simnel Cake is accepted as an Easter food and can make an ideal centrepiece for a table.

Easter Sandwiches
You can make any variety of sandwiches for an Easter Party, (as long as the contents can be cut easily) although egg seems appropriate. By adding some mayonnaise and cress for extra taste. Egg sandwiches can be made more inviting by using a variety of different breads, wholemeal, white, rye, pitta etc. Sandwiches with other fillings can be adapted to the Easter theme by using chick, rabbit or oval (egg) cutters.

Chocolate Nests
Ingredients
          Milk / dark cooking chocolate bar
          Wheat based shredded breakfast cereal
          Paper fairy cakes cases
          Small chocolate eggs or chicks for decoration

Break 8-10 chunks of chocolate (milk or dark) into a heatproof bowl that will rest in a saucepan without touching the bottom of the pan.
Crumble 3-4 cereal portions into a bowl until they resemble straw.
Put water in the base of the saucepan until the bowl just touches the water when in the pan. Gently heat the water until simmering with the bowl resting in the pan. When the chocolate begins to melt gently stir. DO NOT allow the chocolate to overheat as it will lose its consistency.
When all the chocolate has all melted add some of the shredded cereal and stir until it is all covered in chocolate. Add a little more cereal at a time until the chocolate cannot cover any more.
Spoon the chocolate covered straw into the paper cake cases. Use the back of the spoon to make a small dip in the centre and add 2 / 3 small eggs or a chick before the chocolate sets.

Easter Fairy Cakes
(Using your favourite sponge recipe (or the recipe below) mix as normal).

Victoria Sponge Recipe
175g (6oz) softened butter / margarine
175g (6oz) (caster) sugar
3 beaten eggs
175g (6oz) self raising flour (sieved).
1 tablespoon hot water
Icing sugar, icing pens or readymade decorations

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour, and add the hot water and mix until a smooth.
Divide mixture into paper fairy cake cases in a bun tin.
Bake in preheated oven at 180’C / 350’F / Gas 4 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.

When the fairy cakes have cooled ice with a plain colour icing (green for grass) then use icing pens draw a chick or other Easter symbol. Alternatively placing a pre bought Easter chick on top which is just as effective. Many discount pound stores sell boxes of Easter chicks ideal for this.

Easter Cookies
(Using your favourite biscuit / cookie recipe (or the biscuit recipe below) mix as normal, but use Easter shaped cutters.)

Biscuit Recipe
18oz Self Raising flour
4oz butter
8oz sugar