Easter has come and gone! We were in Tilba, on the South Coast of New South Wales, with two of our children, their spouses and our three grandchildren. The weather was just beautiful, warm days and nights cold enough to light fires. We collected eggs from our chickens and were amazed, when we found one egg with a soft shell!

We had the painting of the eggs, the traditional Easter egg hunt and in the evening the eight hour lamb! This is our family tradition and I would not dare to try and change one thing or I would have a family war on my hands.

Our Menu was:
• Wapengo oysters, (to me the best ones anywhere, they have a very strong flavor of the sea,
are very plump and organic)
• eight hour lamb (whole baby lamb, very slow cooked for 8 hours. The delicious smell wafts through the house for most of the days, making you very hungry)

• here the ‘dressed’ lamb waiting to go into the oven

• baked tomatoes, Spanish onions, garlic and basilico

• baked vegetables, in my vegetable garden I had:
• cavolo nero
• carrots, red and orange
• artichokes
• fennel
• leaks
• I slow baked them with olive oil and sage

• the flavors all mix together and the vegetables become quite crunchy and delicious!
• mixed green salad ( it is amazing how good a simple green salad tastes, when it is just picked)

• here part of my vegetable garden

For dessert I made Pashka, a traditional Russian Easter dessert, made with:
• ricotta
• cream cheese
• eggs
• toasted almonds
• lemons
• sugar and sultanas
• you line a dish with muslin
• press the ricotta mixture into it
• and leave it in the fridge over night