Make-ahead Easter recipes

Put together a low-stress spring feast with our make-ahead Easter recipes. Whether you fancy doing some baking, making homemade gifts or are hosting the big lunch, these Easter recipes will help you get ahead in the kitchen.

Rustle up Easter Sunday lunch with our make-ahead mains, like slow-roast lamb and chicken pies. Prep some seasonal sides like baked chicory with ham, roast carrots with sesame or tender sherry-braised leeks. Starters are always a canny dish to make ahead of time and stash in the fridge or freezer. Our make-ahead Easter starters include a vibrant and fresh pea soup, and Gill Meller’s rich trout terrine with capers.

Follow with a dessert that you can whip out of the fridge when you’re ready to serve.

If you’re making the most of the long weekend with a relaxed potter in the kitchen, then try some of our make-ahead Easter bake recipes. Perfect if you’ve got family or friends dropping in for a cuppa, or need something to serve while the kids are scrambling in the flowerbeds for the Easter egg hunt.

Finish off your Easter menu by taking a look at our Easter lunch recipes, hot cross buns for Good Friday and ways to use up any leftover chocolate. Happy Easter!

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Caramelised white chocolate cheesecake

Cheesecake recipes

Caramelised white chocolate cheesecake

This showstopping cheesecake has a high-sided chocolatey biscuit base, a creamy filling spiked with nutty caramelised white chocolate and a...

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Burnt honey pannacotta with rhubarb and chamomile syrup

Pannacotta recipes

Burnt honey pannacotta with rhubarb and chamomile syrup

Ravinder Bhogal’s burnt honey pannacotta with rhubarb is the perfect make-ahead dessert for spring. Ravinder says: “Who knew chamomile teabags...

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Baked chicory with ham

Gratin recipes

Baked chicory with ham

Slightly bitter white chicory, grown in the dark as a ‘forced’ salad vegetable, is at its peak in early spring....

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Pea soup with dill and wasabi crème fraîche

Soup recipes

Pea soup with dill and wasabi crème fraîche

This elegant pea soup makes an excellent Sunday lunch or Easter starter. The garnish of wasabi peas is optional, but...

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Hot cross banana bread

Baking recipes

Hot cross banana bread

Banana bread meets hot cross buns in this delicious Easter loaf – or ‘bunana’ bread. A brioche-style dough is spread...

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Lamb ragù

Ragù recipes

Lamb ragù

Slow-cooked lamb shoulder makes the perfect base for a rich and meaty sauce for pasta. It can be made a...

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Mini Egg rocky road

Easter recipes

Mini Egg rocky road

A tiny amount of effort and a little patience rewards you with a rocky-road-style chocolate bar that’s perfect for sharing....

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Marsala pannacotta

Pannacotta recipes

Marsala pannacotta

The addition of marsala wine and rum, plus the light coating of caramel, creates a complex flavour to this irresistible...

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Milk chocolate bark with pretzels, candied bacon and jelly beans

Make-ahead Easter recipes

Milk chocolate bark with pretzels, candied bacon and jelly beans

This unashamedly OTT milk chocolate bark is full of sweet-meets-salty flavours with a hint of Americana: crunchy pretzels, chewy jelly...

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White chocolate bark with waffles and marshmallows

Alpine recipes

White chocolate bark with waffles and marshmallows

Our alpine white chocolate bark is topped with chestnuts and meringue alongside hot-choc-inspired marshmallows and stroopwafel crunch. Have you seen...

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Michel Roux Jr’s chocolate mousse

Chocolate mousse recipes

Michel Roux Jr’s chocolate mousse

Learn how to make the perfect chocolate mousse, with this masterclass recipe from leading chef Michel Roux Jr. Michel Roux...

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Mashed potatoes with greens and bacon

Make-ahead Easter recipes

Mashed potatoes with greens and bacon

For mash with a difference, try our silky mashed potatoes with bacon and greens. Serve alongside beef, lamb or chicken...

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Chocolate orange pithivier

Dinner party dessert recipes

Chocolate orange pithivier

Chocolate orange lovers won’t be able to resist this decadent dessert. Our chocolate pithivier has a rich chocolate, hazelnut and...

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Chilled chocolate soufflés with salted almond praline

No-bake desserts

Chilled chocolate soufflés with salted almond praline

Looking for an impressive make-ahead dessert? These decadent chocolate soufflés topped with salted almond praline can be made 1-2 days...

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Chocolate coconut meringue wreath

Make-ahead Christmas dessert recipes

Chocolate coconut meringue wreath

This is one epic dessert for Easter or other special occasions. A chocolate coconut meringue wreath is topped with fruit...

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Chocolate Guinness cheesecake

Baked cheesecake recipes

Chocolate Guinness cheesecake

The greatest chocolate cheesecake ever? Very possibly. Our chocolate Guinness cheesecake has an Oreo base, thick cheesecake layer and malted...

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