Here are my favourite homemade Easter recipes. I’ve got delicious homemade hot cross buns, vegan carrot cake donuts, slow-roast lamb with salsa verde and two choc-tastic homemade alternatives to traditional Easter eggs! The full recipes are below for you, and here’s a little taster…

EASTER NESTS

Making these little eggs adds that extra special touch, and mine are free from dairy and refined sugar. I use desiccated coconut for a luxurious taste, then fill the eggs with crunchy pistachios for extra goodness.

EASTER CHOCOLATE BARK

I love making this as a gift for friends and family, and this year I’ll get Shay involved to top the chocolate with colourful freeze-dried raspberries.

SPELT CHOCOLATE CHIP HOT CROSS BUNS

Nothing says Easter like some delicious Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns. This bake is definitely a labour of love with some waiting time for them to prove but trust me it’s worth it for those fresh out of the oven warm buns. We’ve already devoured some of them warm out of the oven but the others I’ve halved and frozen ready to toast for a delicious Easter breakfast.

VEGAN CARROT CAKE DONUTS

Spongey, moist and bursting of cinnamon and nutmeg flavours, these are a great gift for a loved one or perfect for sitting down with a cup of tea.

SLOW ROAST LAMB WITH SALSA VERDE, PEAS AND BUTTER LETTUCE

Slow roast lamb is one of my all-time favourite dishes because it’s so tender and delicious. My recipe works with salsa verde, peas and butter lettuce, or you could add your own healthy twist with steamed spring greens and roast sweet potato.

Happy, healthy Easter!

Love, Madeleine xx

EASTER NESTS

Makes 8

INGREDIENTS:

Nests

• 120g good quality dark chocolate (I love Ombar)
• 1 tbsp honey
• 100g desiccated  coconut
• 4 tbsp almond milk

Eggs

• 110g cacao butter
• 2 tbsp honey
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp freeze-dried raspberries
• 1 tsp finely chopped pistachios

DIRECTIONS

• To make the nests: Melt the chocolate and honey together on a low heat, then add the desiccated coconut and milk and stir well. Pour the mixture into 8 cupcake cases to mould the nests. Leave to set in the fridge for 1 hour.
• To make the eggs: Melt down the cacao butter with the honey on a low heat. Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Divide the mixture into two and place the raspberries in one and chopped pistachios in the other. Pour the mixture into the small egg moulds and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Place the eggs in the nests and sprinkle with more desiccated coconut.

EASTER CHOCOLATE BARK

INGREDIENTS

• 90g  cacao butter
• 60g raw cacao powder
• 60g maple syrup
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 2 tbsp freeze -dried raspberries
• 1 tbsp flaked almonds
• 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 2 tbsp pistachios

DIRECTIONS

• Melt down the cacao butter on a very low heat. It will take a while, so be patient and keep stirring as you go. Once melted stir in the raw cacao powder, maple syrup and sea salt.
• Pour the melted chocolate onto a baking paper lined tray, so it looks like a splat in the middle. Decorate the bark with the freeze-dried raspberries, pistachios, coconut and almond flakes.
• Pop in the freezer for half an hour and then transfer it to the fridge until you want to dig in. I like to whack mine with a rolling pin so it smashes into shards!

SPELT CHOCOLATE CHIP HOT CROSS BUNS

Makes 12 

INGREDIENTS

• 500 g spelt or all purpose flour
• 20 g quick yeast
• 100 g brown sugar or white
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 70g of butter or coconut oil, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 250 ml milk of choice
• 100g of dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks
• 100g of raisins

For the crosses

• 5 tablespoons white flour
• 4 tablespoons water

For the glaze

• 2 tbsp of maple syrup
• 4 tbsp of water

DIRECTIONS

• Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, spices and salt in a bowl
• Melt the butter/oil then when cooled stir in the milk and eggs. Add this mixture to the dry and bring together to form a sticky dough.
• Flour a surface and knead the dough for 5 minutes until it forms a ball.
• Leave in a bowl covered with a beeswax wrap or alternative for 1 hour.
• Add the raisins and chocolate chips, stir through and cover for another hour.
• Roll into golf sized balls pop in a lined baking tray this mixture should make around 12.
• Whisk the cross ingredients together and pop on piping bag and pipe the crosses onto the buns.
• Leave to rise for another 30 minutes
• Preheat the oven to 180 C and bake for 25 minutes.
• Simmer the glaze until it thickens then brush over the buns and dive in.

VEGAN CARROT CAKE DONUTS

Makes 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil
• 2 tbsp of ground flax seed
• 1 cup of plant based milk
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of grated carrot
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of nutmeg

Glaze:

• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp of maple syrup
• 100g of cashews soaked in water for 6 hours, and drained
• 2 tbsp of coconut oil

DIRECTIONS

• Cream the sugar and oil.
• Then add the rest of the ingredients and process.
• Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease your donut pan and add mixture. Bake for 12 mins. Leave to cool.
• Blend the glaze together until Smooth. Glaze your donuts with a piping bag or a knife. Then dig in!

HEALTHY SLOW ROAST LAMB WITH SALSA VERDE, PEAS AND BUTTER LETTUCE

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lamb shoulder (bone in)
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 butter lettuce
• 100g frozen peas

For the salsa:

• 50g flat parsley
• 50g fresh basil
• 100ml olive oil
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 120°C / 250°F / gas mark 1.
• Rub the lamb with salt, rosemary and thyme and wiggle the garlic cloves into the cracks in the lamb so they’re nestled right into the meat. Place it in a roasting tin containing 150ml of water, cover with foil and cook for 6-7 hours until the lamb is falling off the bone.
• While the lamb is cooking, make the salsa verde by blending the parsley, basil, olive oil, capers, vinegar and mustard. Blend into a smooth paste, and set aside.
• Break the lettuce into individual leaves. Leave your peas on the kitchen counter to defrost gently while the lamb is cooking.
• When you take the lamb out of the oven, wrap it in foil and leave to rest for 40 minutes – this helps it retain its juices.
• Five minutes before you eat, warm the lamb juice in a pan and stir in the peas and butter lettuce. The peas will cook and the butter lettuce will melt.
• Serve with the salsa verde and some steamed greens – I love tenderstem broccoli and savoy cabbage.