Make-ahead Easter recipes
Put together a low-stress spring feast with our easy make-ahead Easter recipes. Whether you’re preparing dessert, cooking side dishes or hosting the big lunch itself, these Easter recipes will help you get ahead.
- Make-ahead Easter desserts: Get a jump on pudding with recipes for Easter cheesecakes, hot cross bun trifle or our fan-favourite chocolate mousse cake. It keeps for three days in the fridge.
- Simple and easy ideas: Our fridge-friendly make-ahead Easter starters include a vibrant and fresh pea soup and a rich trout terrine with capers. This asparagus salad is served at room temperature – perfect for making ahead.
- Traditional Easter recipes: Lamb is the classic roast for Easter. This slow-cooked shoulder can be cooked, shredded and reheated to feed a crowd, buffet-style. Marinade this lamb leg the night before to save time on the day (and amplify the flavour) – the mint sauce can be made ahead, too.
- Alternative exciting ideas: Try this hearty slow cooker lamb stew, elegant roast salmon with pastry topping or carrot and mascarpone gratin to add a twist to your celebrations. All have prep-ahead elements.
Browse all of our Easter lunch recipes – and discover ways to use up any leftover chocolate!
Showing 1-16 of 73 recipes
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Potatoes
Ottolenghi’s potato salad
Try this German potato salad from the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen. Waxy potatoes are cooked until tender before soaking up a delicious broth.
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Easy
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Chocolate tarts, tortes and pies
Mocha mousse for a crowd
With a surprise golden coffee layer hidden below the chocolate, this mocha mousse is a sophisticated make-ahead dessert for sharing.
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Easy
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Easter lamb
Lemon, garlic and rosemary leg of lamb with mint sauce
You just can’t beat the flavours of lamb leg roasted with lemon, garlic and rosemary. Our method rewards you with perfectly tender pink meat.
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Easy
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5-ingredient
Chocolate and raspberry custard pots
These speedy chocolate custard pots are one of the easiest desserts you can throw together. They're a great way to use up Easter chocolate.
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Easy
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Easter
Four cheese, leek and walnut gratin
This multi-layered leek gratin is the ultimate creamy, cheesy side dish. Prep ahead then bake and serve with Easter lunch or a spring roast.
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Easy
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Easter lamb
Slow-cooked orange wine lamb shoulder with shallots
Slow cook lamb shoulder in orange wine with anchovies and shallots. This is the easy-but-impressive Easter roast you've been looking for.
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Easy
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Best Easter cakes
Baklava dome cake
This baklava-inspired dome cake is covered in pistachio icing, concealing walnut sponges sandwiched with pistachio paste and raspberry cream.
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Easy
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Easter lamb
Lamb saddle stuffed with a herby chicken mousseline
Spring lamb saddle is stuffed with a light-as-air chicken mousseline made bright green with fresh herbs. The perfect dish for Easter Sunday
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Challenge
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Asparagus
Asparagus caesar salad
Asparagus is a glorious side for any springtime Sunday dinner, and this pretty caesar salad with quails eggs makes the most of its flavour.
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Easy
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Blueberries
Blueberry latte cheesecake
This beautiful blueberry latte cheesecake balances the flavours of blueberries and coffee, with a chocolate crumb base.
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Medium
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Baked cheesecakes
Japanese soufflé cheesecake with yuzu-caramel sauce
Japanese soufflé cheesecake is all about the light, airy texture. Yuzu-caramel sauce adds a pop of zesty sweetness to the fluffy cheesecake.
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Easy
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Baked cheesecakes
Mint ‘Viennetta’ New York cheesecake
Packed with nostalgic retro flavours, this mint chocolate cheesecake is baked in a loaf tin to give it that classic ‘Viennetta’ look and feel
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Medium
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Tropical desserts
Passion fruit tart no-bake cheesecake
The tangy zing of the passion fruit topping offers just the right contrast to the rich creaminess below in this no-bake cheesecake recipe .
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Easy
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Baked cheesecakes
Basque forest cheesecake
We've given Basque cheesecake a decadent Black Forest spin, with cherries, cream and chocolate. it’s a cheesecake you’ll keep coming back to.
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Easy
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Fondants
Tom Kerridge’s cappuccino fondants
These melting-middle cappuccino fondants by Tom Kerridge are hard to resist thanks to the combo of indulgent chocolate and aromatic coffee.
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Medium
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Cheesecakes
Caramelised white chocolate cheesecake
This showstopping cheesecake has a chocolatey biscuit base, a creamy caramelised white chocolate filling and golden ganache topping.
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Medium
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