Easter made easy: your foolproof menu, from pre-dinner snacks to dessert

Right now, there is almost nothing I would rather eat than a hot cross bun (and preferably one from Jolene). But what I also like about Easter is that cooking becomes just a bit more relaxed, so if you haven’t made a meal plan yet, welcome to the club.

I’m not big on tradition, nor suggesting that you must eat from the Easter holiday playbook, but I’ve learned never, ever to underestimate the enduring power of cooking a certain dish for a certain occasion. I am, of course, talking about lamb, and Max Rocha’s herb-crusted lamb rack with green sauce and roast potatoes and radicchio (pictured top) is the safety net we all need. Otherwise, Jorge Paredes’ full-flavoured Greek-style braised lamb shoulder and fennel salad would pair well, given spring’s current mood swings. Or, if you’ve got your hands on some early asparagus – yes, I know the season doesn’t officially start until St George’s Day on 23 April – José Pizarro’s lamb and asparagus wants for nothing, save for a squeeze of lemon.

Other spring things might include Thomasina Miers’ Mexican-style herby onion rice spilling out from underneath a roast oregano chicken (just add a plate of greens or salad) or, for vegetarians, my first move would be Alissa Timoshkina’s giant cabbage, pea and spring onion latka, complete with roast carrots and new potatoes on a bed of whipped herby feta. Rukmini Iyer’s goat’s cheese tart with a ton of herbs – one of her “favourite recipes for Feast so far” – will also bring subtle promises of sunnier days. If you really want to push the boat out, though, go for Georgina Hayden’s Levantine trio (pictured below): kebbet latkin (that’s spinach and onion stuffed into pumpkin-bulgur dough), lemony leeks and braised fennel with saffron.

If you’re hosting people in higher than usual numbers, meanwhile, it’s perfectly OK just to make it drinks – provided there are also a few snacks, of course. Little salty things that are handheld and can be made well in advance (think gildas, parmesan grissini or simply crisps) are what you want, though a plate of Felicity Cloake’s devilled eggs would also feel like a win.

And for dessert? Predictable, sure, but I’ll be going all in on chocolate, and in any shape or form, starting with Ravneet Gill’s take on the viral Dubai chocolate bar (it would also make a cracking – sorry! – gift) and Tarunima Sinha’s cupcake twist complete with the obligatory speckled mini eggs, or Helen Goh’s chocolate and hazelnut pudding infused with the warm spices of hot cross buns. If you don’t consider yourself a chocolate person, though, meet Benjamina Ebuehi’s showstopping cherry bakewell cake, where almond sponge is layered with cherry jam and silky swiss meringue buttercream. Or skip pudding entirely and go straight for the hot cross buns; if any leftovers need a new lease of life, I’m not averse to making brunch the main meal – hot cross torrijas (AKA Spanish-style eggy bread), anyone? It’s entertaining the easy way.

East meets west | Cálong, a restaurant with both Korean and French influences, recently opened in Stoke Newington, north London. While, of course, there’s fried chicken with sweet chilli and peanut, it was the vegetable pancake with pickles that came out top for me. Following that with a rhubarb choux and yoghurt ice-cream may sound odd, but I didn’t think twice.

Royal reading | Roti King’s cookbook is coming this month, which is cause for great celebration, because it means we can now have their food (well, their recipes, at least) without the queues. All the cult classics from chef Sugen Gopal are there, from dal and nasi lemak to the legendary roti canai.

If the choux fits | While west London bakery Le Choux is known for its choux buns filled with the likes of hazelnut or passion fruit, this weekend I’m saving space for some of its chocolate egg brownies topped with salted caramel and a milk chocolate disc. And if the shop’s location proves tricky, as it does for me, happily they deliver nationwide.