Clara Diez, co-founder of Formaje cheese shop in Madrid
At this time of year, I opt mostly for acid-cured cheeses, which are refreshing and yoghurty. When the animals start grazing outdoors and feeding on the grass available in the meadows, it is directly reflected in these cheeses, which have a very short ripening period and retain a lot of moisture. The French valençay, sainte-maure de touraine, crottin de chavignol and bouyguette are some of them, or the English dorstone or sinodun hill, and in Spain moluengo, cebreiro or olavidia are popular varieties. In contrast, I like to add some blue cheese (Colston Bassett’s stilton is my favourite), as it brings solidity to the table and is perfect to complete the aromatic range.
Serving the whole pieces or wedges of cheese on the table, uncut, completely changes the dynamic, and for me it’s much better because it forces the diners to interact with the product: nothing gives you more information about a cheese than cutting it, it’s part of the “tasting”. Here, the trick is to always cut from the inside of the cheese towards the outside, and try to make sure that all the pieces have a rind; this is an important part of artisan cheeses, which contain a lot of sensory information.
When it comes to pairing, I think it’s also good to free your mind a bit and try to pair it with products that you really like, even if they are not traditional accompaniments. If there is a good product on the table, everything goes with everything.
Alice Moireau, model and co founder of homeware brand Table
We will begin the period of feasting with a traditional Pâté de Pâques – a pâté en croute with eggs inside that’s traditionally eaten as a starter on Easter day. I prefer to buy my puff pastry for ease, but the pâté is homemade by mixing pork meat with herbs, garlic, onions and, for the Easter theme, boiled eggs, which look beautiful when you slice it.
For a vegetarian dish, a specialty in my region of the Loire Valley is steamed white asparagus. I’m drawn to their pearly shades and like ones with a pink/purple nose to add a bit of colour to the table. I’ll dress this in a classic French mousseline sauce, which is essentially a mayonnaise born of egg whites, with a handful of chopped chives or chervil. A French galette always looks nice on the table. I like to whip up a Corsican cheese called Brocciu, which is a bit harder than a ricotta, and make a simple olive-oil pastry base (see recipe below). I bake it then add whipped cheese on top with mint, garlic and plenty of fresh peas.
My table is long and rectangular so usually three-quarters of this will be reserved for seating, and then I’ll devote the rest to display the food. Spring is a time of hope, renaissance. I like my guests to see what they will be eating and to honour the ingredients this way.
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Place the flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl and make a well in the middle.
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Pour the oil into the well, then add the water to the mixture.
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Mix together to make a dough and let it rest for five minutes.
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Press the dough into a tart tin with your hands.
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Bake for 25 minutes at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and serve with dollops of Brocciu cheese, mint, garlic and fresh peas on top
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Start preparing the asparagus by cutting off the stalks (about 2cm), then peeling the first third of the stalk from the bottom up. Then steam for about 12-15 minutes, checking with the tip of a knife.
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Meanwhile, prepare the mousseline sauce. Whisk together a mayonnaise with the egg yolk (keep the white in a separate bowl), mustard, salt and pepper, gradually adding the sunflower oil.
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Chop the chives and add to the mayonnaise.
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Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the mayonnaise.
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Arrange the warm asparagus in a pretty dish, cover with the mousseline sauce
Merlin Labron-Johnson, chef at Osip and The Old Pharmacy, Bruton, Somerset
I always start out with a huge breakfast. This year I’m making hot cross buns with chocolate inside and homemade marmalade. Likewise for lunch, I’m quite traditional and usually cook lamb, either a shoulder or a leg, marinated in a paste of anchovies, garlic, mustard and red wine vinegar. Of the two cuts, lamb shoulder is far more forgiving. I’ll start it off in a hot oven around 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 for 20 minutes to give it a nice golden exterior and then cook it slowly for about three more hours around 150°C/Fan 130°C; start checking after the two-and-a-half-hour mark – when the lamb is ready, the bone will feel loose and the meat will be very soft and tender. With a lamb leg, you want it a little bit pink and it will typically take an hour to cook depending on the size. Although if in doubt, you’re fine to keep it in a bit longer.
When cooking on a rack, I’ll often slice some potatoes to sit underneath and absorb all the juices, otherwise I’ll serve it alongside a leafy green salad, which is a nice fresh alternative to roasted veg. For the green sauce, it’s a typical salsa verde, a blend of parsley, mint, green herbs, mustard and capers and lots of really good olive oil. I also add wild garlic, as we’re surrounded by it this time of year in Somerset. It can be a really nice ingredient to play with.
osiprestaurant.com; oldpharmacybruton.com
Skye McAlpine, cookery writer
I love colomba, an Italian Easter cake of sorts. It’s soft and sweet, a bit like a panettone; it comes in the shape of a dove with a sugar and almond crust on top. I will usually serve it with either a dollop of ice cream on the side, or something like a warm vanilla custard, a zabaione cream or hot white chocolate and saffron sauce. Otherwise, I think there’s something quite magical about an extravagant looking pavlova with lots and lots of whipped cream and fresh strawberries on top.
Three of the best colomba cakes
Marchesi Classic Colomba Cake (pictured), €48 for 1kg, pasticceriamarchesi.com
Dolce & Gabbana, Colomba alle mandorle di Sicilia, £49.50 for 750g, continofoods.com
Tre Marie Traditional Colomba Cake, £20.65 for 1kg, hellomamma.co.uk
Meringues are one of those desserts that everyone enjoys and because they’re both gluten- and dairy-free, it’s a recipe that works well for a wide spectrum of dietary requirements. The trick is to bake them on a very low heat (140°C/275°F non-fan/gas mark 1) so they stay snowy white rather than lightly golden. Once you’ve put them in to bake, you absolutely mustn’t open the oven door (as it lets the heat out). Bake for one hour and then switch the oven off, leave the door closed and let them rest in there for at least another hour to cool (and bake a little more). It always feels like a bit of a leap of faith, but it works a treat every time.
For the table, tulips are such a cheerful and unpretentious flower. I think they look especially pretty casually arranged in jugs. At Tavola, my homewares brand, we designed some pink and yellow Lido plates with a frilly edge to welcome spring that bring a nice pop of colour; a big dish of crudités in the middle of the table, for example, with radishes, baby carrots (still with their little bushy green tops), slices of fennel and so on is a lovely thing to eat but also works as decoration.
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Combine the saffron and sugar in a mortar and pestle and grind it into a fine powder.
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Bring the cream to just under the boil in a small saucepan, but take care not to boil it: when you see the tiniest bubbles coming to the surface round the edge of the pan, take it off the heat.
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Add the chocolate and stir vigorously until melted, then add the powdered saffron and stir until you have a vibrant, yellow sauce.
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Cover and set aside until ready for your pudding, then warm gently on the hob and serve with the colomba.
Gabriel Waterhouse, chef at The Water House Project, Bethnal Green, London
I’ve recently gravitated towards hogget. They’re slightly bigger animals that tend to have more flavour than lamb. There’s also something to be said for extending the life of these sheep (a hogget is a sheep between one and two years old, whereas lamb is typically around six to seven months when we eat them). Ask your butcher to remove the loins from the short saddle and trim away excess fat. It’s important to keep some fat, which will protect the meat when cooking and impart flavour.
I like to retain the bones, which can be roasted off with onion, carrots and celery and reduced to a silky jus; finish with fresh mint leaves, garlic slices, rosemary and thyme before serving.
I generally believe that slower cooking yields better results. Cuts like the shoulder or belly are foolproof; you can’t really overcook them. It’s best to allow enough time for preparation and then let it slow cook in the oven while taking in the first signs of spring.
As for flavour combinations, I’ve found that anchovies and lamb complement each other beautifully. This inspired me to incorporate seaweed, which has a similar umami profile, into my hogget dish on the spring menu at The Water House Project.
