Celebrate Easter at Home | Self-Isolation

“Easter is the only time when it’s perfectly safe to put all of your eggs in one basket.” Unknown

Instead of the over-indulgent Easter brunch we were expecting on Friday we are instead spending another weekend behind closed doors in self-isolation mode. In an attempt to get in the mood here’s some ideas for treats and entertainment for all the family for this Easter weekend, there’s still plenty to do it’s just a case of looking a little harder for some inspiration and motivation.

Easter Egg Hunt – If you have secured some chocolate eggs its time to get creative and hide them around the house as not to disappoint younger members of the family, let’s face it even if you have a balcony or garden with the current temperatures they will melt pretty rapidly anyway. You could even decorate some real eggs if you haven’t managed to secure some chocolate ones!

Easter Crafts – Is it even Easter if you haven’t made and decorated biscuits, painted real eggs or attempted an Easter bonnet or DIY bunny ears? Use this easy recipe to bake and ice some themed biscuits. Looking to entertain the kids and get creative? Find a whole section of family-friendly Easter inspiration on my sister’s award-winning craft blog, Little Button Diaries HERE

Hot Cross Buns – Hot cross buns, Hot cross buns, One a penny, Two a penny, Hot cross buns – we all know the rhyme and this doughy traditional treat is a favourite of mine at this time of year. Toasted and covered in butter, who can resist, I’m salivating just thinking about it. However whereas I would usually buy them at M&S and Waitrose I have been unable to track them down for obvious reasons (luckily I did get some M&S mini ones before lockdown and should have saved some). I considered stretching my culinary skills to rustle some up but even the simplest recipe calls for unattainable bread flour so I’ve been unable to do that, probably to the relief of family members. If you do fancy having a go at baking them and have the ingredients in your larder click HERE for a simple recipe.

Easter Roast Dinner – Who doesn’t enjoy a big family Easter roast with all the trimmings? This year you may have to invite family members to enjoy the occasion virtually but it’s all about making that extra effort. Luckily the meat eaters in our family will enjoy roast lamb thanks to a scheduled Springbox Butchery delivery and veggies secured from our local supermarket. Fancy a roast delivered to your table? Circle Cafe are offering roast chicken meals with a choice of sides from AED 45 for 1 person up to AED 200 for six people – click HERE for more information and to order.

Andrea Bocelli Concert – Famous opera singer Andrea Bocelli will be offering a free live concert on Easter Sunday from the Duomo in Milan. The tenor’s ‘Music for Hope’ concert will be accompanied by organist Emanuele Vianelli and streamed live on Bocelli’s YouTube channel from 1pm EDT (6pm UK time/9pm UAE time) – click HERE to enjoy the show.

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Take a (virtual) trip to the London’s theatreland – London’s West End theatres may be closed due to Coronavirus but you can still get your dose of theatrics as the National Theatre is offering performances via its YouTube channel. Pour yourself your favourite tipple and grab some snacks and tune in HERE. Last week it was James Corden in One Man, Two Guvnors (we saw him in this on Broadway and it’s very funny) and now it’s Jane Ayre on demand until 16 April (it is subtitled and the running time is 3 hours with a short interval). Set a reminder for next Thursday (16th April) as it’s the free online premiere of Treasure Island at 10pm UAE time (7pm UK time).

Get a front row seat at CirqueConnect – Make some popcorn and take a seat on your sofa to enjoy the world renowned Cirque du Soleil performers entertain you with the premiere of their 60-minute CirqueConnect show on Friday 10th April at 3pm EST (8pm UK, 11pm UAE). This is the third show in a virtual series offered online – click HERE to view.

Tune into a Festival – Keep the whole family entertained with the UK’s popular festival Camp Bestival online edition. The Stay At Home Easter Sleepover is a two day line-up of comedy, music and storytime streaming on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube – click www.campbestival.net Find more information on Camp Bestival Instagram page – if you are enjoying the entertainment they ask you to make a donation to the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and The Trussell Trust

Enjoy some Art – London’s Tate Modern gallery is offering an online tour of its Andy Warhol Retrospective exhibition which opened right before lockdown on 12th March. You can view the free curator-led tour, which features iconic Warhol pop art such as his soup cans, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis pieces, via the the gallery’s YouTube channel and website. Following on from this Tate Britain will be offering the Aubrey Beardsley exhibition virtually from 13th April. Closer to home download the free Louvre Abu Dhabi app to hear stories of the Louvre Abu Dhabi highlights and architecture that includes the curators’ tour of the musuem’s special exhibitions. The app is available in several different languages from the App store and Google Play