Yes I know, I’m a bit early with this – I mean, Easter’s not for another few weeks or so, but it’s a little bit like Christmas for me – ‘How soon can I put up the decorations?’ A few weeks ago, while I was still making Irish Stew and talking about St Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland..
..Easter was there, tickling the back of my brain..
I snuck out to the absolute disgrace that is my garage, and miracles-of-miracles, I found the Easter decorations! To be truthful, there aren’t really that many of them, but I do like a nice (bunny) statue – to quote Sr Michael from Derry Girls 😉
I’d forgotten about the Easter Egg tree that I got in Dunnes last year – they have them again this year, if you fancy one.. (and no, they’re not paying me for this!)
Nice, isn’t it? There’s a recipe for the Hot-Cross Buns on Eating for Ireland, btw..
And here’s a true story about the Easter egg tree – it sat proudly on my kitchen table for most of Lent last year, and looked lovely. However, I only discovered this year that it lights up.. it lights up if you turn it upside down and find the place where you’re supposed to put the batteries.. cue eye-roll from Sr Michael..
I bought some lovely lemons yesterday, and although it’s probably too early to make Lemon Curd to give away as Easter gifts, I’m making a couple of pots for ourselves and some special friends in the meantime 
The days are getting lighter; there are daffodils flowering, and blossom on the trees – there’s a real feeling that the earth is stirring and that summer surely can’t be too far away..
In the next week or so, I’ll be posting lots of my family-friendly Easter recipes, but of course if you’re curious, you can check them all out on www.eatingforireland.com
For the moment, let’s enjoy the longer evenings, and the sights and sounds of Spring, as we wait anxiously to make sure that winter really has past!
Oh, and in case you’re wondering – it’s NEVER too early to eat Hot Cross Buns!!
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx