Easter traditions
Chocolate eggs are everywhere at Easter! Gorgeously wrapped, elegantly boxed, they take pride of place in shining food halls great and small. Ultimately tempting, prime example of the chocolatier’s art they decorate a multitude of deli windows and luxury confectioners. Choosing which of these gourmet delights to give friends and family on Easter Sunday is a highlight in the chocolate lover’s year. Join them at Charbonnel et Walker- London chocolatiers since 1875 and long patronised by royalty - or visit The Chocolate Society in Elizabeth Street, to enjoy luscious scents and sights, to be tempted by exquisite packaging and the promise of tastes to match.
The Easter Bunny
On Easter Sunday the mini ‘sweetie’ eggs tucked amongst primroses or hidden under flowering currant bushes heavy with pink blossom are evidence of the Easter Bunny at work. Earliest awake he hides the eggs from his basket, brightly wrapped chocolate, or sugar coated and glistening, secreting them away in the house or garden, ready for children – and enthusiastic grown-ups to search out and enjoy. Other busy hands hide edible treasures all over England, join in the hunt for them at beautiful Bateman’s in Sussex, country home of Rudyard Kipling, or search amongst the vines at Biddenden Vineyard in Kent.
Ancient Customs
Traditional flavours start the Easter holiday: ‘Hot cross buns, hot cross buns, one a penny two a penny hot cross buns,’ Victorian street vendors used to advertise their wares in song. Today their sweet, spiced and fruity buns are a treat for breakfast on Good Friday morning. The bright costumes and jingling bells that announce the arrival of the Pace Eggers in an increasing number of Lancashire and Yorkshire villages are an enthusiastic revival of an ancient custom. Look out for St George battling the Black Prince, enjoy their final song, and be prepared to hand over an egg, or a coin, in return for your entertainment.
Simply Delicious
Painted eggs have long been gifts for Easter Sunday - King Edward 1 of England ordered 450 of them, gold leafed and painted for his Easter giving in 1290. And they have another use on Easter Monday, when, as lambs frolic and daffodils toss their golden heads, green, rolling hills resound to excited cries. All over Britain, this is the traditional day to roll hard-boiled eggs downhill – first to the bottom is the winner! Whether intricately painted, marbled from wrapping in onion skin or simply dyed pastel, the eggs that are rolled are a great reason to get out into the country, and enjoy the Spring, to enjoy the tradition, and work up an appetite for all those delicious chocolate eggs!