EASTER

I love Easter. For me, it has all the comfort of a family Christmas without all the stress…what could be better? Recently, I’ve been embracing the holiday more and more and I think it’s a really good excuse to have a bit of fun at home. Here are some of the things I do to get in the mood and really make Easter weekend an occasion:

EGGS

My favourite easter decoration has to be the classic egg- from the beautiful speckled ceramic to the bright and bold. I love to incorporate them into a spring flower arrangement or have them nested in bowls around the house. This decoration is all about subtlety, be careful not to over egg it. (I had to use that pun somewhere!)

COOKING

One thing that can give your home that extra special touch is something that no designer can draw up or include on paper- the smell of good old home baking. We love to get creative with our baking at home during Easter so I thought I’d share some of our favourite bakes that make Easter Afternoon Tea even more delicious.

SIMNEL MUFFINS

Ingredients

250g mixed dried fruits
grated zest and juice 1 medium orange
175g softened butter
175g golden caster sugar
3 eggs , beaten
300g self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
5 tbsp milk
175g marzipan
200g icing sugar
2 tbsp orange juice for mixing
mini eggs

Method

1. Tip the fruit into a bowl, add the zest and juice and microwave on medium for 2 minutes (or leave to soak for 1 hour). Line 12 deep muffin tins with paper muffin cases.
2. Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ 160C/gas 4. Beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, spices and milk until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes) – use a wooden spoon or hand held mixer. Stir the fruit in well.
3. Half fill the muffin cases with the mixture. Divide the marzipan into 12 equal pieces, roll into balls, then flatten with your thumb to the size of the muffin cases. Put one into each muffin case and spoon the rest of the mixture over it. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until risen, golden and firm to the touch. Leave to cool.
4. Beat together the icing sugar and orange juice to make icing thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Drizzle over the muffins and top with a cluster of eggs. Leave to set. Best eaten within a day of making.

AMERICAN SUGAR COOKIES

Ingredients

132g unsalted butter, softened
225g superfine sugar, or granulated sugar, processed in blender or food processor for 30 seconds
½ tsp. Salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
½ tsp. Almond extract or emulsion, optional
375g plain flour

Method

Cream butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes with mixer set at medium speed. Add yolk, beat well. Add whole egg, vanilla and optional almond extract and beat until well-incorporated. Add flour; beat at low speed just until flour is mixed in; do not overmix. Divide dough in halves or thirds and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour and up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Dust work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll dough to 1/4″ thick, sprinkling with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut into desired shapes and place on parchment or silicone-lined pans. Bake in preheated oven until cookies appear dry on the surface and are light golden brown on the edges, about 10 minutes (very large cookies may take up to 12 or 13 minutes). Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks and cool completely before decorating.


FLOWERS

Bring in the flowers and catkins and create some colourful arrangements. Have some fun with it!

5 STEPS TO SPRING

Finally, Spring has decided to arrive to give us some sunshine and warmth! With the days getting longer and brighter my garden is starting to come back to life and this highlights everything that needs to be done inside. It is a time to come out of hibernation, freshen up and prepare for the year ahead and I have 5 simple things you can do to make your home Spring perfect.

PAINTWORK

As the very welcome sunshine makes its way into my home it tends to reveal some very unwelcome scuffs, scrapes and smudges. Even after a top to bottom spring clean walls will always expose a room that is slightly worn out. I find that a touch up of the paintwork can make all the difference. It’s quick and inexpensive  (usually a sample pot is enough to do the trick) and can bring a space back to life. The only hard part is keeping the children and/or pets away long enough for it to dry!

SCENTED CANDLES

I always imagine that a house has been holding its breath all Winter so as soon as the weather is warm enough I love to give the house a good airing. Then I like to switch my scented candles. During the Winter, I find that woody spiced scents give the perfect atmosphere however for Spring the lighter, fresh smelling candles are much more appropriate. I love Manuel Canovas’ world famous luxury candles and Designer’s Guild’s range but as a designer I am always looking for something different and new for my home. I have recently discovered a local company, Narbeth Candles, that produce handmade candles in the Cotswolds. Gail Narbeth, who makes the candles, has worked hard to develop an exclusive range of unique scents. The candles burn really well and aren’t too overpowering which can often be a problem. Their ‘Desert Rose’ candle is available at Saal Design (£15) and is the perfect scent for Spring.

FLOWERS

This one is a simple one…bring your Spring flowers inside! Fresh flowers around the house always lift my spirits and allow me to enjoy my garden even when it’s still a bit too cold to be out there.

COLOURS

Make the most of the light and use it as an opportunity to mix things up and experiment with some colour. Pastels tend to be the ‘go to’ palette for Spring and the result is often very tasteful but sometimes a bit boring. Personally, I usually find bold use of colour more impressive. You don’t have to be too dramatic to give a room some seasonal vibrancy- the odd splash here and there should be enough.

Cushions available to buy at Saal Design

 

Cushions available to buy at Saal Design

PREPARE FOR SUMMER

For me, Spring is the ‘organised’ season. As the focus starts to shift towards outside and the garden it’s good to start thinking about what you will need for the Summer. Furniture usually has a lead time of roughly 6 weeks so if you need some for your garden then Spring is the time to order. There are some lovely new outdoor products and fabrics this year and I'm excited to start having some fun with them.