Easter Gatherings

BY PALOMA LACY

Garden gatherings are back on the agenda, and better weather means only one sort of meal – a barbecue.

The only dish to enhance such a lunch is a great salad. Newman’s Own NEW Yoghurt & Herb Dressing & Dip is made with low fat natural yoghurt, mint and coriander.

But it’s not just a dressing and can be used as a dip for crudités and chips. Not only will you be feeding friends and family, but giving back – as all profits go to charity.

All royalties and after-tax profits that Newman’s Own receives from the sales are used for charitable purposes, including Over The Wall (www.otw.org.uk), which provides free and fun activity camps for children with serious health challenges.

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Roasted Beetroot, Lentil and Goats’ Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

• Eight medium beetroot, trimmed, scrubbed and quartered
• Five tablespoons Newman’s Own Italian Dressing, shaken well
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 400g can puy or green lentils in water, drained and rinsed
• 125g roasted chopped red peppers in brine or oil, drained
• 50g walnut pieces
• 100g rocket leaves
• 125g soft goats’ cheese, crumbled or roughly chopped.

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200ºC, Gas Mark 6.
• Put the beetroot in a roasting tin and drizzle over two tablespoons of the Italian dressing, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Roast for 35-40 minutes, turning halfway, until tender. Allow to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, place the lentils, peppers and walnuts in a bowl and mix gently.
• Stir in the warmed beetroot and toss in the remaining dressing.
• Divide the rocket between four plates and top with the lentil mixture.
• Scatter over the cheese and serve immediately.
• Cook’s tip– if you are short of time you can use ready cooked beetroot, quarter the beetroots and drizzle with the dressing as above and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once until cooked through

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This Carrot & Sweet Potato Cake is a showstopper that all the family will love, not to mention the Easter Bunny, should you happen to receive a visit.

The addition of sweet potato and buttermilk makes for an incredibly moist and moreish sponge. Finish it off with a smooth cream cheese and vanilla frosting, along with the optional addition of crushed walnuts.

There may seem like quite a few steps, but use a stand mixer to make the whole process a lot quicker.

Ingredients:

• Two sweet potatoes (medium, peeled and coarse grated)
• Three large carrots (peeled and coarse grated)
•  Four large eggs
• 250ml vegetable oil
• 140 ml buttermilk
• Two teaspoons vanilla extract
• 320g plain flour
• 320g sugar
• One teaspoon cinnamon
• One teaspoon ground cloves
• One teaspoon ground ginger
• One-and-a-half teaspoons baking powder
• Half a teaspoon salt
• Half a teaspoon allspice
• 226g butter (room temperature)
• 450g cream cheese (room temperature)
• 123g sour cream
• One whole vanilla bean (cut open and scraped)
• 500g icing sugar
• 75g chopped walnuts (optional)

Method:

• Heat oven to 160°C and line bottom of two cake pans with grease-proof paper
• ln the bowl of a stand mixer, with flat beater secured, add eggs, oil, vanilla and buttermilk and turn to speed three, mix until incorporated, then add the sweet potatoes and carrots and mix together
• ln another bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, clove, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, salt and allspice
• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix by hand with a spatula until all ingredients are incorporated. Divide the cake mix between the two pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the centre is firm
• Remove from the oven and cool on a rack
• To prepare the frosting, put the cream cheese, sour cream and vanilla into the bowl of the stand mixer with the wire whip attached and mix on six until the mixture is smooth. Cover one cake with about a centimetre of the frosting (or as little or as much as you fancy), place the other cake on top then frost the top and sides and scatter the chopped walnuts around the edge.
  www.kitchenaid.co.uk

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This weekend marks the sweetest time of the year – Easter.

Creams Café – purveyors of the finest gelato, sundaes, crepes and waffles, has joined forces with Cadbury on a range of dishes to hit the sweet spot, making Easter eggs-tra special this year.

It includes a new selection of the decadent Doughnuts with Cadbury Creme Eggs and Cadbury Mini Eggs.

Enjoy four delicious doughnuts – two coated with white chocolate and a drizzle of mango sauce, topped with half a Cadbury Creme Egg and two coated in milk chocolate, with a sprinkling of milk chocolate shavings and topped with a nest of Cadbury Mini Eggs.

Those feeling in an indulgent mood could opt for the towering Pancake Stack with Cadbury Mini Eggs.

Tuck into a loaded plate of six fluffy American pancakes, drizzled with milk chocolate sauce and topped with milk chocolate shavings, and finished with a handful of Cadbury Mini Eggs.

Sound irresistible? Dough-not miss out on these – available until April 9 or until stocks last.

Available for online order and delivery, as well as click and collect.
www.creams.com