Easter, Gently

Why this quiet, hopeful season has become my favourite time of year

There is something about Easter that I find myself looking forward to more and more each year.

It may, in fact, be my favourite holiday.

Unlike Christmas, which arrives with a certain intensity and expectation, Easter feels altogether gentler. It comes quietly, without pressure or performance. There is no urgency to do everything, see everyone, or create something perfect. Instead, it offers a soft invitation to pause, to enjoy, and to indulge a little.

And indulge we do. Chocolate seems to taste better at Easter, somehow.

But more than that, it is the timing of it that I love most.

Easter arrives just as the world begins to wake up again. The trees are beginning to soften with green, the air feels lighter, and there is an unmistakable sense of renewal. After the long stretch of winter, it brings with it hope.

Here in the UK, the clocks went forward last weekend, and already it has made such a difference. The evenings feel longer, the days feel fuller, and I have noticed a real shift in my mood. There is something deeply comforting about knowing that we now have months ahead of light, warmth, and possibility.

This year, my plans for Easter are intentionally simple.

On Sunday, I am going for lunch with my friend Kimberley at The Gleneagles Townhouse, which I am very much looking forward to. Beyond that, I have left the weekend open. There is a temptation to gather a few friends for drinks in the evening, but equally, I feel no pressure to fill the time. If it happens, it happens. If not, I am perfectly content to rest and enjoy the stillness.

I did, however, feel a small urge to mark the occasion at home.

Nothing elaborate, just a subtle shift to reflect the season.

So, almost on a whim, I set the table in the dining room using pieces that always feel like spring to me. Green rattan chargers, basketweave plates, and an assortment of glassware that catches the light beautifully as it moves across the room. I added a few small details, artichoke salt and pepper shakers, some vegetable dishes, and finished it with simple bud vases filled with white flowers.

It took no more than ten minutes.

And yet, the effect was transformative. The room felt lighter, fresher, and undeniably more in tune with the season. A small reminder that it doesn’t take much to shift the atmosphere of a space.

Later, I found myself in the mood to bake.

I had been in Marks & Spencer earlier in the week and noticed quite a commotion surrounding their speckled egg cookies. Apparently, they have become something of a phenomenon. After attempting, unsuccessfully, to track them down, I decided to make my own.

I found a simple recipe online and got to work.

They are wonderfully straightforward to make. The dough benefits from being chilled, ideally for several hours, but I took the quicker route and gave it an hour in the freezer, which worked perfectly well. They bake in just ten minutes, and the result is everything you would want from an Easter treat.

A large, indulgent cookie with a delicate crisp edge that gives way to a soft, chewy centre. Studded with chocolate eggs and white chocolate, with an unexpected addition of cornflakes that provides the most satisfying crunch.

They are, in a word, perfect.

If you would like to make them yourself, I have included the recipe below. You can also watch me baking them over on YouTube.

And with that, I will leave you to your weekend.

However you choose to spend it, I hope it is filled with a sense of calm, a little joy, and perhaps something sweet.

Nicolas x

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Speckled Egg Cookies

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted butter, softened

• 150g light brown sugar

• 100g caster sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 300g plain flour

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• ½ tsp fine sea salt

• 150g white chocolate, chopped into chunks

• 150g speckled chocolate eggs (lightly crushed)

• 50g cornflakes (lightly crushed)

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Method

1. Prepare the dough
   In a large bowl, cream together the butter, light brown sugar, and caster sugar until pale and fluffy.

2. Add the wet ingredients
   Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, mixing until smooth.

3. Combine the dry ingredients
   In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt.

4. Bring everything together
   Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.

5. Add the texture and flavour
   Fold in the white chocolate, crushed speckled eggs, and cornflakes. The cornflakes may seem unusual, but they are what give these cookies their signature crunch.

6. Shape and chill
   Divide the dough into large balls (they should feel generous, these are meant to be indulgent cookies).
   Place onto a tray and chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours, or for a quicker option, freeze for 1 hour.

7. Bake
   Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
   Place the dough balls onto a lined baking tray, leaving space between each one.
   Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centre remains soft.

8. Finish and cool
   Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They will firm up slightly as they cool while staying beautifully chewy in the centre.

Recipe adapted from Four Walls Farm