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Easter meal planner

Crocus Mothers Day promotion The long Easter weekend is the ideal opportunity for a bit of R&R, but how do you square that with the need to feed family and friends? Working on the basis that the last thing you want to do is spend all weekend in the kitchen, try our meal planner of quick or prepare-ahead dishes to take you from Good Friday to Easter Monday without cracking up.
Every recipe in this feature is either prepare-ahead or quick, so you can make sure Easter really is a series of easy feast days.

Far be it from us to tell you what to eat, but you will find suggestions for each meal listed below. The idea is that you can then mix and match, depending on which ingredients you have to hand or taking faddie food tastes into account. Some of the recipes serve 2, but are easily scaled up if you want to serve 4 or 6. Either way, we are confident that these recipes will go down a storm and leave the cook feeling as chirpy as an Easter chick!

Also, click here for Delia's brilliant, time-saving How to Cheat recipes

Good Friday
If you've got guests arriving, it's best to go for recipes that are quick to throw together when they arrive, or that won't spoil if they get stuck in traffic! These would fit the bill:

Oven-baked Chicken in Maple Barbecue Sauce
Four Star Salad
Chinese Stir-fried Prawns with Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Cashews
Chorizo Hash with Peppers and Paprika
Crunchy Pistachio-coated Drumsticks
Classic Steak au Poivre
Roman Gnocchi
Stuffed Jacket Potatoes with Leeks, Cheddar and Boursin
Chicken Jambalaya

Easter Saturday (and Easter Monday)
You may well be out and about today, so we suggest, if you are preparing lunch, that you go for something you have already prepared, such as a pate, soup or salad, or a quick omelette or other dish. Some choices could be:

Cold Poached Egg Salad with Watercress Sauce
Chicken Liver Pate with Cognac, with Sweet-and-Sour Red Onion Salad
Watercress Soup
Croque Monsieur
Curried Chicken Salad

Smoked Salmon Pink 'Uns
Carrot and Tarragon Soup
Fried Halloumi Cheese with Lime and Caper Vinaigrette
Coarse Country Pate
Roasted Vegetable Couscous Salad with Harissa-style Dressing

Provide a selection of ready-made salads, olives, good bread and some dips such as hoummus, guacamole and taramasalata, if you want to.

For the evening, it would be good to cook something special. You'll be amazed at how easy these recipes are to put together – again, all are prepare-ahead and/or quick.

Thai Green Curry with Chicken
Steamed Trout Fillets in Lettuce Parcels with a Thai Stuffing
Marinated Rump Steak
Salmon Fishcakes
Lasagne al Forno
Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagne

Poached Chicken Breasts with Morel Mushrooms, Cream and Parsley
Roasted Salmon Fillets with a Crusted Pecorino and Pesto Topping
Oven-baked Wild Mushroom Risotto

Highland Pasta with Smoked Salmon
Mustard-glazed Lamb Cutlets
Grilled Venison Steaks with Red Onion, Grape and Raisin Confit
Beef Curry Dopiaza

Easter Sunday
Why not celebrate this feast day with a traditional roast? If you're in any way nervous about your Yorkshires, or think your chicken might end up chewy, make sure you follow Delia's foolproof tips in our How to... section.