Why Do We Give Eggs at Easter?

There are many associations with Easter, some of which come through the religious side of the festival, others predating even the associations with Christianity while others are more recent.  So why do we give eggs at Easter?  And how did many of the other traditions come about?

Easter egg associations

There are lots of reasons we associated eggs with Easter.  One example is that in Medieval Europe, it was forbidden to eat eggs during Lent so eggs laid during that time were boiled or preserved.  When Easter came around, eggs could once again be enjoyed and were a gift given to children.

Eggs are also associated with fertility and as a symbol of new life dating back much further.  Ancient Egyptians, Romans and Persians all gave eggs as part of their spring festivals, with the Spring Equinox being 21^st March, just before the typical date of Easter.

These associations have developed into the Easter eggs we know today – brightly coloured with dyes or paints and decorated in all manner of ways.  Egg hunts are another traditional part of Easter along with rolling eggs down hills, with the most famous version of the game taking place on the lawn of the White House in Washington DC every year.

Middle Eastern Orthodox Christians and those in Greece paint their eggs bright red to symbolise the blood of Jesus Christ while hollow eggs were decorated with religious images as part of the celebrations in Armenia.  Many Germans give green eggs on Holy Thursday and hang hollow eggs up onto trees while Austrians put a tiny plant around the egg before boiling it, creating delicate patterns on the eggshell.

While the chocolate Easter egg has taken over the market here in the UK, there are still ways to maintain the traditions in a contemporary way.  One such way is to give the gift of a personalised eggcup to children at Easter.  This encourages them to enjoy eggs and is a bridge between the modern world and ancient traditions.

Other Easter traditions

Everyone recognises the Easter Bunny but rabbits and hares are associated with both spring and fertility.  The root of the Easter Bunny story comes from Germany, where parents told their children that an Easter hare would hide eggs for them to find.  The tradition followed German immigrants to the US, where the story continued to grow and the tradition of baking cakes for the hare began.  It is thought this is where the associations between Easter and chocolate developed – a very clever idea!

Giving cards at Easter is a Victorian tradition.  Stationers at the time added the image of a rabbit to cards and these were sent to loved ones at Easter.  In the US, Easter cards are big business, being the 4^th most popular holiday of the year behind Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.

Easter parades started in Medieval Europe when after Mass, the churchgoers would follow behind a crucifix or an Easter candle.  People would join the parade wear their finest clothing include bonnets they would make particularly for the day.

Top Flowers to Grow and Cut

The only thing nicer than receiving a bunch of flowers is receiving flowers that someone has grown and cut themselves in their own garden.  But many of us think we can’t grow flowers or we don’t have enough room for them.  The good news is that there are some great flowers that are easy to grow, don’t need a lot of room and make beautiful cut flowers.  In fact, growing flowers is a great way to make a unique present for someone.  You can arrange them in a simple vase or glass bottle to make a present that they will treasure.

Sweet pea

Top of any easy to grow list has to be the sweet pea.  These beautiful little flowers come in a vast range of shades, grow easily and once a flower has been cut, more will be along in no time.  Some people choose to grow a single shade but for the best effect, a full-on random selection gets the winning vote.  The tip for cutting it to cut them as the lowest bloom is opening and put them straight into water to give them the longest life.

To grow sweet pea, you will need some form of support, such as a trellis or even a wall with mesh on it.  They can be sown in the spring either into pots or into the ground at a depth of around 1cm and then need a good watering to start them.  Watch out for slugs, as they love the tiny shoots.

Tulips

Tulips often win the race to be among the first flowers to show in spring and come in an even more amazing range of colours than sweet pea.  As cut flowers, tulips need a lot of water and a tip is to submerge the stem in water before cutting them to avoid air escaping.  Also, despite blooming at the same time, never combine tulips and daffodils as the latter stop them from getting the water they need.

Tulips grow from bulbs that need to be planted in the autumn to flower the following spring.  They need sunlight and not too much moisture so a well-drained, sunny spot is ideal.  Sow around 8 inches deep and water well after planting to start their growth.

Dianthus

Dianthus is a wide category of flowers that includes both carnations and pinks as well as Sweet Williams.  As well as traditional whites, red and pinks, they also come in subtle shades and even purple versions.  Pinks also have a strong and very pleasant smell so they will brighten the room and make it smell lovely.  When cut, don’t keep them in direct sunlight as this shortens their lifespan.

Dianthus can be grown from cuttings but for first-time gardeners, seeds are the best bet.  Sown in post around ½ inch from the top they are then covered with moist compost.  Place the pot in sunlight and when the seeds germinate, you can feed them with liquid houseplant fertiliser.  They can be transferred to the garden once the risk of frost is past.

Using Slate Around the Kitchen

Slate has long been associated with the outer construction of a house and has been a material used for roofing for many centuries.  It is known for its durability and also for its attractive appearance but in recent times, slate has made a move into the house and now is popular in a variety of ways around the kitchen.

What is Slate?

Slate is a fine-grained rock that can be made up from clay or volcanic ash and is the finest grained rock in its category, metamorphic rocks.  This graining can be expertly ‘cut’ by striking it parallel to the grains to create the smooth, flat sheets so long used as a roofing material.  Slate is most often grey in colour but slate from different places can vary, being purple, green or cyan, such as the very dark grey slate found in North Wales.

Slate was first used as a roofing material back in the 1870s and remained popular for this use because it is very resistant to water absorption, being virtually waterproof. Added with its appearance, longevity and the fact that little maintenance is required has retained it as a popular roof tile option.

Uses of slate

As well as roofing materials, slate has traditionally been used for both tombstones and commemorative tablets.  The Maya of Central American used slate to make stelae, their version of a commemorative stone and it was highly prized.  Slate is fireproof and a good electrical insulator so has been used throughout the 20^th century in switchboards and in large electrical motors.

Two famous uses of slate is as the table tops on billiards and snooker tables and in the 19^th century for school blackboards, as well as the individual writing slates given to children to work with using chalk pencils.  Fine slate is also used as a whetstone to hone knives.

In the kitchen

Two of the main uses of slate in the kitchen are for flooring tiles and for worktops where its waterproof abilities come to the fore, along with its durability and general toughness.  This means that it is resistant to stains and can handle almost anything a busy household throws at it.  The same low maintenance that makes it appealing for roofing materials also makes it appealing to put on the floors or worktops of a kitchen and it offers a natural finish to the room.

Slate has also found its way into the accessories of the kitchen, bringing its enduring qualities to the job.  One of the most popular uses is as a chopping board, where fear of markings the material is almost non-existent and particularly helpful to the heavy-handed chef.  Placemats for the dining table is another popular use, where the fireproof heat resistance of slate protects the table beneath from the heat of serving dishes.

Another popular use for slate is for decorative items.  Due to its ease of use, it can be formed into decorative wall hangings that are often personalised to make an ideal present and cut into a variety of different shapes.

Basic Baking Ideas with the Kids

Whether it is with your children, grandchildren or even just your friends’ kids, there is something memorable about baking together.  When they get older, they will always remember the times spent in the kitchen making a cake or muffins with you and it can even aspire them to something more – maybe even the next celebrity chef!

One great way to start their interest in baking is to buy a children’s baking set.  These will normally contain a few staple items such as muffin tins or a loaf tin as well as cutters and a whisk as well as the important apron to help save their clothes a little.

So once they have their basic gear ready, what kind of baking can they do?  One of the simplest, and tastiest, start up baking projects are muffins and here is an idea of a classic recipe.

Basic Muffin Recipe

Ingredients:

• ·         2 medium eggs
• ·         200g caster sugar
• ·         250ml milk
• ·         125ml vegetable oil
• ·         400g self raising flour

If you want to make chocolate flavoured muffins, substitute 100g of the flour for cocoa powder but not drinking chocolate

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 and line the muffin tray with paper muffin cases.  In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and mix in the oil and milk.  Add the sugar and whisk until dissolved.

Sift the flour into the wet mixture and mix until it is smooth and if making chocolate muffins, add the chocolate powder at this point.

Fill each muffin case until it is around two-third full to allow the muffins to rise and not spill over the top of the cases.  Bake in the oven for around 25 minutes then leave to cool or enjoy warm.

Lemon and Almond Drizzle Cake

Ingredients:

• ·         250g margarine
• ·         250g golden caster sugar
• ·         4 large eggs
• ·         Zest of two lemons
• ·         Juice of one lemon
• ·         200g self raising flour
• ·         50g ground almonds

For the decoration:

• ·         Juice of two lemons
• ·         250g fondant icing sugar
• ·         20 sugared lemon decorations

Heat the oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4 and line the loaf tin.  Cream together the margarine and sugar until pale and fluffy before beating in the eggs, juice and zest.  Fold in the flour and the almond.

Spoon the mixture into the lined loaf tin then bake for around 20 minutes until golden brown then leave to cool.

Combine the syrup ingredients and pour into a few holes made in the cake with a skewer.  Drizzle the remainder of the mixture over the top of the cakes and add the sugared lemon decorations on top.

Conclusion

The great thing about both muffin and loaf tins is that there is a huge range of cakes that can be made in both.  As well as sweet options, there are also savoury recipes that can be ideal for a special breakfast treat or to cool down and take as part of a packed lunch the next day.  Plus once the kids get the baking bug, it may quickly become their favourite thing to do on a weekend or whenever they visit!