Waitrose

From serving up a breakfast with a sense of occasion to setting the table for a laid-back lunch, Waitrose has Easter well and truly cracked By Nicky Rampley-Clarke

Can you keep a secret? Easter is the new favourite season. Less stressful than Christmas but just as celebratory, it’s a chance to gather friends and family with good food and drink without the expectation (or expense) of the festive period, yet all of the fun. From effortlessly cooking up a storm and pulling out all the stops without breaking a sweat, to mixing and muddling cocktails like a pro, it’s a long bank holiday weekend everyone can look forward to – including the host. Here’s how to celebrate in style with some Easter inspiration from Waitrose.

Bring on breakfast… or brunch

5 easy ways to elevate your Easter lunch

Line candles of differing heights down the centre of the table together with a striking vase for statement flowers to dial up the drama. It’s all about these little flourishes that help create a celebratory Easter ambience.

Easter trend spot The hottest entertaining trend this Easter? A centrepiece that hangs above, rather than sits on, your table. Simply team a seasonal branch foraged from the garden with Easter decorations bought from Waitrose and hang from the ceiling.

Aside from eggs and hot cross buns, another dish that’s synonymous with Easter is roast British whole leg of lamb. If you’re hosting and need a sous chef, take a look at this useful guide, which covers everything from selecting your joint to serving it. “What I love about a British whole leg of lamb is that it can carry a variety of different flavours – whether you want to keep it classic, with thyme and garlic, or try something different with ginger and a kick of spice, Easter is a marvellous time to elevate your roast,” suggests recipe writer Linzi Pucino. And the key to perfecting your roast? Prep. “Ensure you give the joint plenty of time to get to room temperature,” says Linzi. With a third off Waitrose British whole leg of lamb and 25 per cent off select roasting joints and accompaniments until 2 April 2024*, Easter has never been more delicious.

Easter calls for the good stuff Whether it’s a succulent leg of British whole leg of lamb to be roasted, luxurious hot cross buns ready for toasting, or an abundance of chocolatey Easter eggs poised to be demolished, Waitrose has everything for your best Easter yet. Visit waitrose.com/easter Advertiser content for * Terms and conditions apply

PUt on a sensational spring spread

FAncy a breakfast bellini?

After a relaxed morning, it’s time to think about lunch. Fear not – it’s seriously laid-back with these simple styling tips

1 Set the table

Styling your table couldn’t be simpler. Give your tablecloth from brunch a good brush down and refresh the napkins. Next, layer each setting with a placemat and plates for starter, main and dessert (largest first). Lay your cutlery for each course (the starter cutlery on the outside), and finish with glassware in a diagonal from the top-right of each place setting (ensure you have glasses for fizz, red, white and water).

2 Make a statement

Make guests feel truly welcome by writing their name on a place card and positioning on each setting. A personal message on the back is a nice touch, too. A keepsake they can take home.

3 Add a personal touch

With your table set, make serving a doddle by plating everything up in sharing platters in the centre and telling everybody to help themselves, that way people can have what they fancy and you’re not ferrying plates back and forth from the kitchen.

4 Serve food family-style

Catering for kids? Set up a separate table covered with a disposable (but recyclable) tablecloth they can draw on to keep them entertained after lunch. Just provide coloured pens, chalks and pencils and let their imaginations run wild.

5 Consider little diners

Let there be lamb

After-lunch antics

ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, HUNT

COCKtaIL O'CLOCK

Negroni, but make it Easter. In a tumbler, mix 25ml Warner’s Rhubarb Gin, 25ml sweet vermouth and 25ml Campari over ice. Garnish with ribbons of vibrant rhubarb. Serves one.

THE THINK PINK NEGRONI

For an alcohol-free take on a French 75, mix 30ml fresh lemon juice, 30ml sugar syrup and London Essence Pomelo & Pink Pepper Tonic Water over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a smattering of pink peppercorns. A fabulous drink for drivers, non-drinkers or anyone who’s big on flavour. Serves one. Alternatively, to reach towards heaven in a glass put a measure or two of Warners Juniper Double Dry gin together with cloudy apple juice, a dash of tonic and a garnish of mint and cucumber.

THE NO-SPIRIT SPRING FLING

A sharing cocktail for a social occasion is always a good idea and punch cocktails are fully on-trend for the season ahead. In a pitcher, mix 125ml lemon juice, 60ml sugar syrup, 250ml St Germain French Elderflower Liqueur, 250ml vodka, 500ml Waitrose Pressed Apple Juice and 125ml sparkling water over ice. Garnish with torn mint and basil, plus lemon slices, and let guests serve their own into tumblers. Serves six.

THE EASY EASTER ENTERTAINER

TOP OF THE POPS SAVINGS Alternatively, make the most of Waitrose wine and fizz offer this Easter. Save 25% when you buy six bottles of wine or fizz, priced over £6 between 20 March to 2 April. Terms and conditions apply.

Easter trend spot Ready-to-drink cocktails are all the rage – see MOTH, Tails and Waitrose & Partners No.1 Espresso Martini – so why not cut a corner by pouring them into gorgeous glassware with professional garnishes and claiming them as your own? We won’t tell if you don’t…

The fun can really begin after lunch by exchanging gifts at the table or in the garden. The good news? Waitrose has an egg for everyone.

Cox & Co Cacao Miso Caramel Dark Chocolate Easter Egg

Shop Now

Cox & Co Cacao Miso Caramel Dark Chocolate Easter Egg

Exclusive to Waitrose and flavoured with white miso and natural caramel, this plant-powered egg is an Easter must-have.

Sam on Toast

After a slice of Belgian milk chocolate with a creamy butterscotch flavour? Of course you are! This cute find will elate little bunnies.

Shop Now

Exclusive to Waitrose and flavoured with white miso and natural caramel, this plant-powered egg is an Easter must-have.

Happi Oat Milk Orange Chocolate Egg

Everyone’s invited with this delish gluten-free orange chocolate egg made from oat milk.

Shop Now

Waitrose & Partners No.1 Hidden Truffles Dark Chocolate Easter Egg

Crack the luxury dark chocolate to reveal a box of four sophisticated dark chocolate truffles.

Shop Now

Produced by Telegraph Media GroupProject manager: Michelle Birbeck | Commissioing editor: Rebecca Denne | Writer: Nicky Rampley-Clarke | Sub-editor: Tim Cumming Designer: Jonathan Clayton-Jones | Web editor: Natalie Wain | Illustrations: Georgina Luck at Agency Rush

The best thing about Easter? Breakfast. It really is the most important meal of the day, particularly when it involves hot cross buns slathered in butter, eggs any which way and perhaps something sparkling to pop open for the special occasion. For Easter, it’s all about taking it slow and relishing in the no-need-to-rush mentality. With this in mind, serve it later as a special brunch – it gives everyone the chance to enjoy a bank holiday lie-in, and handily it means you’ll only need to serve two meals on the day rather than three (just brunch and dinner). Practicalities aside, brunch is also much more fun. Set the table the night before to save time in the morning and create a sense of occasion with a linen tablecloth and napkins – bright pops of colour look pretty as a picture for spring – together with gloriously mismatched vintage crockery and contemporary wand cutlery. Browse and buy from the fresh Easter blooms at Waitrose – you can’t go wrong with daffodils, tulips and peonies this time of year – or forage seasonal foliage from your outdoor space. The vibe is low-key but luxurious to make your Easter breakfast feel extra special.

Once guests arrive, greet them with a ‘morning’ cocktail in the form of a bloody Mary or bellini. A bellini, invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice in 1945, is a simple combination of peach purée and prosecco. Give the traditional recipe a twist with this apricot version: make an apricot purée by pouring one tin of Essential Waitrose Apricot Halves in Fruit Juice (including the juice) into a blender and whizzing until smooth. Pour 40ml purée into a champagne flute, add 10ml Waitrose Ginger Shot (store the rest in the fridge) and top up with Waitrose Prosecco. Cheers to that.

Now for the food. For the first course – yes, breakfast at Easter has two (easy) courses – serve up a DIY hot cross bun station from which guests can help themselves once seated, with buns toasted, halved and ready to be assembled with a section of conserves and condiments to hand. You can even pair a hot cross bun to every personality. Serve up a varied selection – from traditional Waitrose & Partners No.1 Golden Hot Cross Buns to trendy Waitrose Hot Cross Bunettone and chocolate Waitrose & Partners No.1 Belgian Hot Chocolate Cross Buns – there’s something for everyone. Next, the second course. Keep things simple with soft and creamy scrambled eggs – why not give them a spicy kick or a truffle spin for something a little different. Serve in the centre of the table and let everyone dig in. It’s a no-fuss kind of day, after all.

After a long lunch, it’s time to take part in the main event: the Easter egg hunt. Tots and adults alike will relish in the excitement of gathering their chocolatey winnings, but there are few things to consider before the fun commences: Check the weather (and check it again): If a downpour is even slightly on the cards, then prepare to have a house full of chocolate fiends hunting high and low. You’ve been warned… Keep a chocolate log: Avoid finding melting eggs in your rose bushes later in the year and keep a list of any obscure places you hide the goodies and how many eggs you’ve hidden. Remember that chocolate can be toxic for some animals, so keep pets occupied with their own Easter treats. Have a secret stash: If there are younger, maybe slightly slower bunnies hopping around on the hunt, then keep a few eggs stored away to avoid any tears later on. See even more ideas for hosting an epic Easter egg hunt here.

With the kids egg-hunted out and tucked up in bed, you can spend the rest of the evening enjoying some much-needed down time by mixing and muddling your own cocktails. Luckily, you don’t need to be a professional mixologist to create expert concoctions from the comfort of home with these three sips:

BRING ON THE BREAKFAST LUNCH

elevate your Easter lunch

LET THERE BE LAMB

ON YOUR MARKS, get set, hunt

CocktAIL hour

BRING ON THE BREAKFAST LUNCH

LET THERE BE LAMB

ON YOUR MARKS, get set, hunt

elevate your Easter lunch

CocktAIl hour

No.1 Speckled Bird Box Eggs Waitrose & Partners

These cute white and milk chocolate eggs are filled with a moreish malt-flavoured ganache and a crunchy layer of sourdough breadcrumbs

Shop Now

After-lunch antics

The fun can really begin after lunch by exchanging gifts at the table or in the garden. The good news? Waitrose has an egg for everyone.

Shop Now

Cox & Co Cacao Miso Caramel Dark Chocolate Easter Egg

Exclusive to Waitrose and flavoured with white miso and natural caramel, this plant-powered egg is an Easter must-have.

Waitrose & Partners No.1 Cracking Pistachio Egg

The on-trend egg combines pistachio and blonde chocolate to spectacular effect with not one but two shells.

Shop Now

Sam on Toast

After a slice of Belgian milk chocolate with a creamy butterscotch flavour? Of course you are! This cute find will elate little bunnies.

Shop Now

Happi Oat Milk Orange Chocolate Egg

Everyone’s invited with this delish gluten-free orange chocolate egg made from oat milk.

Shop Now

Waitrose & Partners No.1 Hidden Truffles Dark Chocolate Easter Egg

Crack the luxury dark chocolate to reveal a box of four sophisticated dark chocolate truffles.

Shop Now

How to host a spectacular (but stress-free) Easter