easter lunch

A delicious twist to the Chinese takeaway classic, crispy duck and pancakes, switching the duck for slow-roasted lamb.

Crispy Lamb and Pancakes

½ lamb shoulder (about 1kg)

olive oil

Chinese 5 spice

garlic powder

ready-made

Hoisin Sauce

cucumber

spring onions

Pre-heat your over to 150ºC/130ºC fan.

Place your lamb shoulder onto a baking tray. Mix together the olive oil (2 tsp), Chinese 5 spice (1 tbsp) and garlic powder (1 tsp) and rub it over the outside of the lamb shoulder.

Roast the lamb for 5 hours, until it can be easily pulled apart with a fork. Occasionally baste the meat with the juices in the tray (I do this about every half an hour).

Just before the meat is ready, prepare the cucumber and spring onions by cutting them into thin strips and warm the Chinese pancakes according to the packet instructions.

Serve on a platter and let everyone help themselves.

Follow master baker Paul Hollywood's ultimate step-by-step guide to creating perfectly decorated fruit buns

Hot cross buns

milk

butter

strong bread flour

salt

caster sugar

sunflower oil

sachet fast-action yeast

sultanas

mixed peel

orange

apple

cinnamon

plain flour

apricot jam

Bring 300ml full-fat&nbsp;milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add 50g&nbsp;butter. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature. Put 500g strong bread&nbsp;flour, 1 tsp salt, 75g caster sugar and 7g sachet fast-action or easy-blend&nbsp;yeast into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture, then add 1 beaten egg. Using a wooden spoon, mix well, then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough.

Tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heal of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat for 5 mins until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent.

With the dough still in the bowl, tip in 75g&nbsp;sultanas, 50g mixed peel, zest of 1 orange, 1 finely chopped apple and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Knead into the dough, making sure everything is well distributed. Leave to rise for 1 hr more, or until doubled in size, again covered by some well-oiled cling film to stop the dough getting a crust.

Divide the dough into 15 even pieces (about 75g per piece). Roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured work surface. Arrange the buns on one or two baking trays lined with parchment, leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Cover (but don&rsquo;t wrap) with more oiled cling film, or a clean tea towel, then set aside to prove for 1 hr more.

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Mix 75g plain&nbsp;flour with about 5 tbsp water to make the paste for the cross &ndash; add the water 1 tbsp at a time, so you add just enough for a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses. Bake for 20 mins on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.

Gently heat 3 tbsp&nbsp;apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks. While the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

There's nothing better than having friends and family around for Easter and sharing beautiful food. This barbecued whole snapper with lime and chilli turns delicious fresh seafood into a wonderful Easter feast.

Barbecued whole snapper with lime and chilli

snapper

lemongrass, trimmed, halved,

garlic cloves, bruised

kaffir lime leaves, torn

green onion,

coriander

jasmine

Lime wedges, to serve

sweet chilli sauce

lime juice

tsp caster sugar

soy sauce

ginger, peeled, finely grated

tbsp fish sauce

peanut oil

https://resources.newscdn.com.au/cs/video/vjs/stable/build/index.html?id=5348771529001-5580111799001&=domain=taste

5348771529001-5580111799001

Cook baby spinach with the rice to bring out the colour in this vegetarian side dish - perfect as part of a Greek Easter lunch

Spinach rice

Greek extra virgin olive oil

onion

baby spinach leaves, washed and finely chopped

dill

long-grain rice

lemons

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and gently cook until softened but not coloured. Add the spinach and half the dill. Cook on a high heat, stirring regularly, until the spinach has wilted down and all the liquid has evaporated.

Stir in the rice and add 600ml water, then bring to the boil. Turn the heat right down again to a very gentle simmer, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 25-30 mins or until the rice has cooked and absorbed all the water. Give it a stir after 15 mins to ensure even cooking, adding a drop more water as required.

When the rice is cooked, stir in the remaining dill, season well, squeeze over the lemon juice to taste, and serve.

Thanks to a breadcrumb coating made with parsley, mint, rosemary and garlic, this roast joint is a cut above the rest

Herb-crusted leg of lamb with red wine gravy

leg of lamb

garlic cloves

onions

carrot

Dijon mustard

white breadcrumb (a few days old is best)

parsley

mint

rosemary sprigs, leaves

garlic

tbsp plain flour

red wine

1l lamb or beef stock

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Use a sharp knife to make little slits all over the lamb, then insert a slice of garlic into each hole. Tip the onions and carrot into a large flameproof roasting tin, then place the lamb on top and season. Pour 250ml water into the base of the tin and roast in the oven for 30 mins.

Meanwhile, make the crust by mixing together all the ingredients and seasoning well. Remove the lamb from the oven and turn the heat down to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Brush the lamb all over with the mustard, then pack on the crust in a thick layer – don’t worry if any falls in the tin, this will be used in the gravy later (you probably won’t use the entire crust, so set aside what’s left for later). Return the lamb to the oven and cook for a further 1 hr 30 mins. Check the lamb during cooking and add more water to the base of the tin if it dries out.

Remove the lamb from the tin, cover lightly with foil and leave to rest for 30-40 mins – if covered too tightly, the crust will go soggy.

To make the gravy, put the roasting tin with the vegetables still in it directly on the heat and whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 min, then add the wine, scraping any flour from the bottom of the tin. Let it bubble for 1 min, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 10-15 mins until thickened, stirring in a little of the reserved crust for a thicker gravy. Strain the gravy through a sieve into a pan, discarding the vegetables left in the sieve. Add mustard to taste and stir through the butter. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Gill Meller&#8217;s deep-filled vegetarian tart with asparagus, broad beans, peas and fresh herbs is a true celebration of spring produce. Try it as a relaxed vegetarian alternative to a Sunday roast – or as part of an Easter feast. This recipe is from Gill&#8217;s cookbook, ROOT STEM LEAF FLOWER: How to Cook with Vegetables and Other Plants (Quadrille £27). Alternatively, make these individual tartlets filled with equally seasonal purple sprouting broccoli and wensleydale cheese.

Asparagus and goat&#8217;s cheese tart

For the pastry

unsalted butter,

milliliters water

For the filling

beans

asparagus spears,

spring onions,

lettuce,

tarragon

lovage, leaves only, roughly chopped (see swaps)

soft goat’s cheese

eggs,

whole milk

double cream

You’ll also need…

Food processor

15cm x 25cm x

Compostable baking paper

First, make the pastry. Pulse the flour and butter in a food processor with a pinch of salt to the consistency of breadcrumbs. With the motor running, steadily add the chilled water, stopping as soon as the dough comes together. Tip out the dough, knead it a couple of times, then wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Remove the pastry from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature before rolling.

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Roll out the dough to a circle about 3mm thick and a few centimetres wider than your tart tin. Line the tin with the pastry, leaving an overhang (see Make Ahead). Prick the base, then line it with baking paper and baking beans/uncooked rice. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the beans/rice and paper and return the case to the oven for 10-12 minutes until just golden. Remove from the oven and trim the overhanging pastry. Set aside.

For the filling: pod the beans and peas (you can leave any very small pods whole). Set a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oil, then the asparagus. Season and cook for 2 minutes, then add the spring onions, lettuce, peas and broad beans.

Cook for a few minutes more until the lettuce has wilted – you’ll need to toss the veg around the pan. Add the tarragon, parsley and lovage to the pan. Season again with plenty of salt and pepper, then spoon into the tart case. Dot the cheese over the top.

Combine the whole eggs, egg yolks, milk and cream in a jug. Season and mix well, then pour the mixture over the tart filling.

Carefully transfer the tart to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until it has a mottled golden top and the filling has puffed up slightly. Rest for at least 20-30 minutes before serving.

Top 6 easter lunch recipes from across the web

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Crispy Lamb and Pancakes

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Asparagus and goat’s cheese t...

Top 6 easter lunch recipes from across the web

The most viewed easter lunch recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Crispy Lamb and Pancakes

Hot cross buns

Barbecued whole snapper with lime a...

Spinach rice

Herb-crusted leg of lamb with red w...

Asparagus and goat&#8217;s cheese t...

The most viewed easter lunch recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Asparagus and goat’s cheese t...