Seasonal treats, creative cocktails and unmissable pop-ups; here’s what you should be doing this Easter weekend in London when you’re not eating chocolate…
Words Helen Brown
Our pick of what’s on over the Easter weekend in London
FIUME
Over the Easter Bank Holiday Fiume will be celebrating the four-day weekend with an Italian style bottomless brunch, available from Friday – Monday. The Battersea restaurant, which is normally closed on Mondays, will be opening specially on 22 April from 11- 4pm to continue the Easter celebrations. A beautiful homemade chocolate Easter egg will also be available, served on a nest of fried pasta and edible flowers. True to Italian tradition, each egg will be filled with a prize rather than an edible filling, and diners are provided with a hammer to reveal their winnings. Prizes could include anything from brunch for two, a bottle of bubbles at the bar or cocktails and cicchetti for two.
EASTER CHOCOLATE AFTERNOON TEA
Have your chocolate with a side of cake at Harvey Nichols. They’ve created an Easter Chocolate Afternoon Tea with classic finger sandwiches, plain and raisin scones with jam and clotted cream and a decadent trio of indulgent chocolate desserts: chocolate macaroons, white chocolate mousse and a chocolate verrine with caramelised macadamias.
EASTER TREAT MAKING AT ROCOCO
There’s no better time to get elbow-deep in chocolate than the Easter weekend and Rococo have just the means. They’re inviting all ages down to their Belgravia store for a chocolate treat making workshop where you’ll learn how to temper chocolate, master the art of moulding, get creative with decorations and of course, tasting plenty of Rococo’s award-winning collection along the way.
SARTORIA
Mayfair’s Sartoria will be hosting an exclusive Good Friday brunch as well as the usual Saturday offering, with a menu that includes their indulgent Ferrero pistachio dessert – perfect for some Easter indulgence. A prize-filled Easter egg will be available for guests too.
TOM’S KITCHEN
Tom Aikens’ hot cross buns are renowned for being some of the best in the capital. The soft, spiced buns which are rich in fruit and finished with a shiny glaze, are the perfect teatime treat or mid-morning snack. They’ll be available from across all Tom’s Kitchen sites and are priced at £1.50 each.
ORRERY
Guests to Mayfair’s Orrery can celebrate the Easter weekend with Head Chef’s Igor Tymchyshyn’s beef wellington. Made to share for groups of four to eight, the wellington will be presented to the table and carved in front of guests as a spectacular centrepiece and served alongside foie gras, Perigourdine sauce and celeriac purée.
BLUEBIRD CAFE, WHITE CITY
Bluebird Cafe, White City is letting the brunch train roll long into the weekend as it launches an Easter Brunch Menu from Friday to Monday. The Easter extravaganza will kick off with an exceptional Good Friday Brunch, complete with free-flowing Moet & Chandon Imperial Rose Champagne, avocado on cornbread with poached eggs, toasted crumpets with honey and peanut butter and a new hybrid Easter dish: hot cross bun French toast.
THE CURTAIN
For one day only, Shoreditch member’s club and hotel, The Curtain will offer an array of fun-filled family activities including an animal petting corner where children can play with bunnies and chicks, a floral crown workshop with East London based florist Grace & Thorn, and an Easter egg hunt throughout the hotel.
LONDON COCKTAIL CLUB
Easter chocolate is definitely not just for kids. The London Cocktail Club will be shaking things up with the Easter @ Leboswki’s cocktail, a unique take on the White Russian with a lavish layer of Mozart Dark Chocolate Cream shaken with Tia Maria and orange bitters. Sip on this sumptuous tipple while taking part in an Easter egg hunt that will have you digging out miniature bottles of flavoured Mozart Liqueur.
DIRTY MARTINI
Dirty Martini’s Choctail menu features three brand new cocktails that take chocolate to otherworldly heights. We love the sound of the Caffè Chocchiato which puts a chocolatey twist on the Espresso Martini, but there’s also the spicy Coco Loco, a warming blend of rum, Malibu, chocolate, milk and cream, topped with a chocolate cornet and finished with chilli shavings. Or there’s the creamy Cookie Kiss made with Martell VS, crème de cacao, Amaretto, butterscotch, white chocolate liqueur, milk, cream and chocolate bitters, topped with a cookie crumble; the perfect dessert in a glass.
GODIVA
Luxury Belgian chocolate brand Godiva will be popping up on Covent Garden’s East Piazza from the 15-22 April with a Godiva Easter Garden and a giant ball pit. Any lucky winners that dig out a golden egg from the ball pit will be able to claim a chocolate prize from the Covent Garden store.
RIDING HOUSE CAFE, RAIL HOUSE CAFE & VILLAGE EAST
Brunch specialists Riding House Café, Rail House Café and Village East, have created London’s first ever Hot Cross Bunidict. The one-off dish takes a freshly baked and toasted hot cross bun base and tops it with poached egg, swiss chard and hollandaise sauce. Guests can also order the ‘What’s Up Doc’ carrot cocktail, made with dark rum, carrot shrub, grapefruit and garnished with a physalis, to look like bunny ears. The Easter specials will be available all day at the sites, from 18-22 April.
EASTER AFTERNOON TEA AT ROYAL LANCASTER LONDON
After 40 days of avoiding all things sweet, satisfy the sugar cravings with an Easter Afternoon Tea at Royal Lancaster London. Available exclusively from the 19-22 April, the special tea will have a range of classic sandwiches such as cured salmon, orange and thyme butter and roast chicken with crispy skin, garlic and lemon mayonnaise. There’ll also be dainty delights from the pastry kitchen such as a chocolate bunny macaron, milk chocolate coconut rocher and vegan options such as chocolate and red currant mousse.
DAPHNE’S
Celebrating Easter and its 55th anniversary, Daphne’s in Chelsea present 55 limited edition golden chocolate eggs alongside its special ‘Pasqua’ menu, featuring delicious spring dishes. Each egg will be lovingly wrapped and available to purchase at the restaurant.
