Easter Food in England Chocolate Easter eggs Hot Cross Buns Easter bonnets

Simnel Cake This is a special cake which is eaten on Easter Sunday It is a very rich fruit cake The top is made of almond paste. The twelve balls on top represent Jesus twelve apostles

Simnel Cake This came from the story of two children, Simon and Nell They worked as servants away from home On Mother’s Day, (the middle Sunday in Lent), they went home to see their mother They made her this special cake It is now eaten at Easter instead

Hot Cross Buns Hot Cross Buns are eaten on Good Friday The cross on top is to remind us of the cross where Jesus died They taste of spicy bread, and have currants inside

Aside from eggs, the best-known English Easter food is probably the hot cross buns. Dating back to medieval times, the buns were traditionally eaten on Good Friday, but they are now popular all around the Easter season. These sweet treats, fragrant with fruit and spices, are marked with a cross, either slashed into the dough before baking, or drizzled on in icing afterwards. The history of hot cross buns dates far back to the pre- Christian era. It is thought that they are descendants of the small cakes offered to Eostre, the goddess of spring. They may have been marked with a cross even in ancient times, to represent the four quarters of the moon. In later centuries the church, unable to stamp out ancient pagan traditions, decided instead to "Christianize" the buns by associating the cross with that of Jesus.

Children’s Easter song – Hot Cross Buns! There is a centuries-old children's rhyme: Hot cross buns Hot cross buns One a penny, two a penny Hot cross buns If you have no daughters, give them to your sons One a penny, two a penny Hot cross buns Children sing this as a “round”

Chocolate Nests Chocolate nests are made by melting chocolate and corn flakes They have sweet eggs in them They taste delicious! They are a sign of Easter’s new life

What happens on Easter Sunday today? Christians gather together on Easter Sunday for a religious service Some Christians take part in an Easter vigil, lighting a new fire outside the church early on Easter Saturday evening. The Paschal candle, decorated with studs to celebrate Christ's wounds, may be lit from the fire and carried into the church where it is used to light the candles of the worshippers. The Easter Eucharist is a particularly joyful service. It is a popular time for baptisms and renewal of baptism vows. Some churches have an Easter Garden. A stone is placed across the mouth of a tomb before Easter, then rolled away on Easter morning. The traditional Easter gift is a chocolate egg.

The first eggs given at Easter were birds eggs. These eggs were painted in bright colours to give them further meaning as a gift. As chocolate became more wide spread in the 20th Century, a chocolate version of the traditional painted egg was developed. The size of the chocolate egg has grown over the years and is now more likely to be the size of an ostrich egg rather than a small birds egg.

Easter Presents Chocolate eggs are given to children. The eggs are either hollow or have a filling, and are usually covered with brightly coloured silver paper. Around 80 million chocolate eggs are eaten each year in Britain.

Special Food at Easter After the lean months of winter and the fast weeks of Lent, food at Easter was always a special treat. Easter day, like Christmas day, is also associated with special food. Boiled eggs are traditionally served at breakfast, then Easter cards and gifts may be exchanged.

Roast lamb, is the traditional meat for the main meal on Easter Day. It is served with mint sauce and vegetables. The traditional Easter pudding is custard tarts sprinkled with currants and flat Easter biscuits. Simnel cake is baked for tea.