Easter Weekend in London

This upcoming weekend stretches out like no other in the year. The Easter festivities land a week after the clocks went forward and provide an excellent opportunity to shake off the last effects of any seasonal affective disorder or the aggravations of living in London.

Although the weather cannot be relied upon to be conducive to merriment the fact there are not one but two public holidays bookending the weekend provides a good excuse to get out and enjoy what the capital has on offer…

Easter eggs

It seems whatever religious festival is celebrated in London, it is always an excuse for gorging. Easter is no different with hot cross buns and chocolate eggs.

London eateries offer a variety of eggs at different prices and different specifications. Starting at the low end, the Häagen-Dazs cafe in Leicester Square is offering its own limited edition ice cream Easter egg at £7.10. It is comprised of Belgian chocolate ice cream encased in a dark chocolate and is served with raspberries and hot chocolate sauce.

A little more expensive are the creations put together by Artisan du Chocolat whose outlets can be found in Selfridges and Chelsea. The kitsch Kawaii chocolate bunnies will set you back around £9 whilst the more unorthodox sweet Scotch egg is around £15. Similar to the traditional English snack, the sweet variety swaps the breadcrumbs and the sausage meat for the far more appealing chocolate crumbs and marshmallow.

Easter egg hunts

If you feel that instead of buying your eggs, you should be earning them, there are plenty of opportunities to snaffle eggs of different shapes and sizes. There are Easter egg hunts scheduled at Kenwood House, Battersea Park and Fenton House amongst others. And if you feel a little uneasy about the prospect of a child’s face looking up at you in disappointment after you’ve barged him or her out of the way to get your egg, consider the beneficial effect you are having on the child obesity rate.

Restaurant offers

London’s eateries are also offering special deals over the weekends. The Langham Hotel is offering afternoon tea featuring lemon bunnies, sandwiches and hot cross buns as well as a tea sommelier who will help you pick out a tea to go with your food.

At £42.50 per adult, it is on the pricey side, but if you are looking for something a little cheaper, there is the Andaz hotel on Liverpool Street. Their Eastway brasserie will be offering chocolate hot cross buns served with home-made chocolate spread, chocolate nests with sweet mini eggs, chocolate eggs served with toasted brioche soldiers and chocolate corn flakes with vanilla foam and caramelised plum compote, all priced at £6.

Häagen-Dazs Cafe
14 Leicester Square
Soho
WC2H 7NG

Tel: 020 7287 9577

Artisan du Chocolat
89 Lower Sloane Street
Chelsea
SW1W 8DA

Tel: 0845 270 6996

Kenwood House
Hampstead Lane
Hampstead
NW3 7JR

Tel: 020 8348 1286

Battersea Park
Battersea
SW11 4NJ

Tel: 020 8871 7530

Fenton House
Windmill Hill
Hampstead
NW3‎ 6RT

Tel: 020 7435 3471‎

The Langham Hotel
1C Portland Place
Regent Street
Marylebone
W1B 1JA

Tel: 020 7973 7579

Andaz Liverpool Street
40 Liverpool Street
EC2M 7QN

Tel: 020 7961 1234

Image by EraPhernalia Vintage courtesy of Flickr