The ultimate traditional Easter menu

Starters

Asparagus caesar salad
Herald spring by adding some seasonal asparagus to your Easter menu. Asparagus and eggs are a classic combo and sing in this salad, finished with creamy caesar dressing. Asparagus wrapped in pancetta and served with a soft-boiled egg is a winner, too.

Watercress soup with lardons and poached eggs
Another seasonal star gets a chance to shine in this spring-fresh watercress soup, paired with salty bacon and oozing eggs. Perfect for Easter.

Main dishes

Lemon, garlic and rosemary leg of lamb with mint sauce

• Classic dish: Leg of lamb is a spring favourite and it’s hard to improve on the flavour combo of lemon, garlic and rosemary. Served with homemade mint sauce, this is the quintessential Easter lunch.
• Cooking tips: While leg of lamb can be braised low and slow, it’s leaner than shoulder, meaning it’s more at risk of drying out with this method of pan-frying then finishing in the oven. It’s pretty foolproof to cook but you need to ensure the meat is cooked medium-rare so it’s not tough. Using a butterflied leg with the bone removed speeds things up while rendering the external fat in a pan gives you more control so you’re able to achieve a golden caramelisation. Delicious…

Spatchcocked crispy-skin chicken with herbs, lemon and garlic

• Crowdpleasing choice: Another roast with a classic flavour combo that will work with all manner of other sides on the plate. Chicken is always a winner!
• Prep for success: Brining and spatchcocking the chicken is a great method for roasting the bird as it dials up the flavour and gives you deliciously crispy chicken skin.
• Cooking tip: If you don’t have time to brine your chicken in the fridge overnight, give it a couple of hours if you can – it really makes a difference.

Roast beef topside

• Ultimate roast beef: This recipe is cooked in a measure of red wine and ensures perfectly pink slices of topside with beautifully seared edges.
• Extra flavour: It also includes ideas for injecting some extra oomph with a easy rub made of parsley, garlic and tapenade from a jar.
• Cooking tip: You can prepare the beef for roasting up to a few hours ahead. The beef is best cooked from room temperature – take out of the fridge 1-2 hours before cooking.

The best gravy recipes to go with your roast:

• Lamb gravy
• Chicken gravy
• Beef gravy

Side dishes

Ultimate gratin dauphinois potatoes
This most luscious of potato bakes combines cheese, double cream and herbs and works well with all kinds of meat. Ideal for a special occasion, it involves slicing, infusing and layering, followed by a long, slow session in the oven.

Rosemary roast potatoes
This rosemary roast potatoes recipe is failsafe, foolproof and fantastically flavourful. We’ve included tips galore, from washing off excess starch and how to achieve perfect par-boiling to why steam-drying is important and which fat works the best for roasting.

Vichy carrots
Have you ever tried vichy carrots? This classic French technique is our favourite way to cook them. Throwing some butter into the pan is a wonderful way to add richness to the vegetables. They absorb the butter as they cook, rendering them sweet and soft.

Cauliflower cheese
Creamy cauliflower cheese makes a great addition to special Sunday lunch. We’ve added leeks to this rich gratin for extra flavour and texture. The assembled, uncooked gratin will keep covered in the fridge for up to 12 hours – good news if you like to get ahead.

Yorkshire puddings
A well-risen, golden and crisp yorkshire pudding is the holy grail of the roast dinner. Discover how to make them with our easy recipe. We’ve got an air fryer yorkshire pudding recipe too!

Discover more roast dinner side dishes →

Desserts

Traditional simnel cake
Simnel is Easter’s headline cake, the 11 balls of marzipan representing Jesus’s disciples, and a slice of this is sure to go down well after lunch with a cup of tea. We’ve got a gluten-free version if you need – and lots of flavoured twists on the theme, from chocolate to whisky and pistachio.

Carrot cake
Carrot cake is another Easter favourite and go-to bake if dried fruits aren’t your thing. This is our best-ever recipe, packed with warming spices, crunchy nuts and a luxurious mascarpone and brown butter frosting. Finished with a simple but flavour-bursting decoration of fresh citrus zests, it make a beautiful table centrepiece too.

Easter rocky road roulade
Easter wouldn’t be Easter without chocolate and cute pastel mini eggs are a mainstay. Crush and sprinkle them throughout and on top of this easy rocky road roulade.

Passion fruit cheesecake
A fruity cheesecake is a refreshing way to end a meal. The tangy zing of the passion fruit jelly topping offers just the right amount of contrast to the rich creaminess below in this simple no-bake cheesecake recipe.

Browse our Easter hub to discover more menu inspiration.