Scoffing Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and hot cross buns might be at the forefront of your mind this Easter (and more power to you), but try to save room for a bit of Easter lunch. For those unfamiliar, we're bascially talking an extra fancy version of your typical Sunday dinner, with a lovely roast lamb centrepiece. Chocolate doesn't make for a balanced diet on its own - you're best of supplementing it with lamb and roast potatoes, obviously. You can even throw in a few greens.
This probably means business as usual for home cooks and roast-makers, but if you're averse to spending hours in the kitchen, fear not - help is at hand. Over the course of the pandemic, many restaurants turned to recipe kits and meal boxes to keep busy and make ends meet; with restaurants back open, some of those schemes have finished, but a select few have pressed on to offer diners the choice of coming to the restaurant or dining at home.
Many of these meal kits are available over Easter, with special Easter menus on the cards. The idea is to take the faff of planning and cooking a roast out of your hands, but there are actually lots of advantages to these meal kits. Take Tommy Banks' Made in Oldstead range as an example - not only is Banks cooking the majority of your Easter dinner for you, he's also passing on access to great suppliers and delivering everything to your front door. All you have to do is collect the parcel, open a few bags, follow the instructions enclosed and hey presto - Easter dinner without the faff. You can even enjoy it from your sofa in your PJs. They tend to cater for smaller groups (two or four people) and best of all, most of them are offering nationwide delivery, which means you can enjoy a top-quality Easter lunch wherever you are in the country.
Below, we have rounded up our top picks of Easter meal kits and Easter delivery services for 2022. Have a browse of them all and once you have decided which one takes your fancy, you can simply follow the provided links to order one for the big day itself.
Made in Oldstead’s Easter Lamb Box
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What: Tommy Banks' lockdown meal kits have become a fully-fledged nationwide meal service now with his Made in Oldstead range. Good thing too - the more people that get to taste Banks' outstanding food, the better as far as we're concerned. Banks' Easter lamb menu doesn't pull any punches with a three course menu of braised lamb neck with turnip veloute, a beautiful piece of lamb rump with a lamb pie, glazed lettuce and asparagus, and a beautiful rhubarb parfait to finish. Pescatarian and vegetarian menus are also available.
How much: £75 for two
Delivery: Nationwide, delivered on 16 April
Order it: madeinoldstead.co.uk
Rogan at Home's Easter Meal
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What: Like Tommy Banks' Made in Oldstead range, Simon Rogan's Rogan at Home makes use of the chef's considerable farmland and production to source ingredients for home delivery meal kits, as well as for his many restaurants. Rogan's Easter delivery comes with all sorts of treats - meadowsweet hot cross buns and a bloody mary for breakfast, followed by confit Jersey Royals with smoked eel, buttermilk and dill, slow-cooked lamb shoulder and banana bread for pudding. Additions are available too including wines, blinis, caviar and a British cheese selection.
How much: £130 for two
Delivery: Nationwide, delivered on 13-14 April
Order it: homebysimonrogan.co.uk
Michel Roux Jr's Lamb Navarin
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What: For Easter lunch with a bit of Gallic flair, look no further than Michel Roux Jr - chef patron of Le Gavroche in London - and his three course lamb navarin with lobster thermidor tartlets and pommes Parisienne. Finish things off with the creme caramel to end all creme caramels.
How much: £79 for two
Delivery: Nationwide, delivered on 14 April
Order it: dishpatch.co.uk
Ottolenghi's Easter Bookshelf Meze Feast
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What: Fancy a bit of lamb with a departure from the usual Sunday roast vibe? Ottolenghi has you covered, as ever, with a Middle East-inspired shawarma feast. Your shawarma main is available as lamb or portobello mushroom, and comes with a range of delicious Ottolenghi meze dishes.
How much: £79 for two
Delivery: Nationwide, delivered on 14 April
Order it: dishpatch.co.uk
Cafe Murano's Mediterranean Easter Feast
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What: Tuck into gorgeous fluffy focaccia, broad bean and mozzarella arancini and anchovy dip with fresh radish - and that's just for starters! Cafe Murano follows up with a burrata and orange salad, a homely braise of chickpeas and lamb, and a panna cotta with poached rhubarb to complete this magical Med feast.
How much: £79 for two
Delivery: Nationwide, delivered on 14 April
Order it: dishpatch.co.uk
The Coach's Easter Shepherd's Pie
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What: Where better to get your Easter feast than one of the best gastropubs in the country? Tom Kerridge is a master of homely, cosy comfort food, and his Easter menu certainly delivers on that front. Kick things off with truffled Tunworth gougeres, then enjoy potted shrimp with sourdough, spiced lamb shank Shepherd's pie with curried mash, grilled hispi cabbage and the mother of all sticky toffee puddings.
How much: £79 for two
Delivery: Nationwide, delivered on 14 April
Order it: dishpatch.co.uk
Fancy enjoying some fun drinks alongside your Easter feast? Check out our pick of the best DIY cocktail kits. Or throw caution to the wind and book a table at one of London's best Easter restaurants.