Our ultimate Easter menu

Lamb is the traditional choice on Easter Sunday, so there’s no real reason to stray away from the popular classic (try serving a roast chicken and you’re bound to ruffle a few feathers). Most cooks opt for a nice leg or shoulder, which is fine, but for a proper chef-like centrepiece a saddle of lamb is tough to beat. Try your hand at some light butchery with Galton Blackiston’s recipe; you’ll need to trim and roll the saddle, stuffing it with spinach leaves and black pudding then securing it all with a thin layer of fat. Of course, you can get your butcher to do most of the hard work for you if you’re not that handy with a knife. Serve it with classic side dishes of potatoes and spring vegetables – just don’t forget the gravy.

If it’s a vegetarian showstopper you’re after, then you can’t do much better than this incredible Pithivier-style pie that uses the very best of spring’s green bounty. Wrapped up in a rich mascarpone sauce and encased in Jus-Rol puff pastry (so you don’t have to spend hours making your own), it’s a dish full of comforting, fresh flavours that will more than satisfy even the most devoutly carnivorous family members.

Milk or dark chocolate may have been done to death earlier on in the morning (especially if you have younger children in the house), but this dessert is a great way to finish off with something sweet that isn’t too sickly. The lemon curd stops the white chocolate from becoming too heavy, while the light, bouncy sponge has a fantastic texture. An easy decorative sprinkle of chocolate curls and crushed pistachio nuts makes all the difference, but you could add some broken up Easter egg or mini eggs on top instead if you really want to hammer home the seasonality.

The sugar-fest that is Easter Sunday probably doesn’t need a petit fours course – but if you really want to go the whole hog, make some fudge in advance for people to snack on throughout the evening. It’s quick, easy and a tried and tested crowd-pleaser.