Enjoy an Early Easter This Year

This year Easter Sunday falls on March 23, the earliest date for almost 200 years.

Easter is a moveable Christian Holy Day and is determined by the lunisolar calendar. The date changes every year and Easter Sunday can fall on any date from March 22 to April 25. This year is the earliest date since 1818.

Despite the fact that most of us associate Easter with chocolate eggs, it is actually hens’ eggs that are the traditional food of Easter Sunday.  Originally during Lent, the eating of animal products, such as eggs, was strictly forbidden.  However, as hens continued to lay eggs throughout the fast, by Easter Sunday the stock of eggs was especially large, and surplus eggs were incorporated into the day’s celebrations. 

For many families, Easter Sunday began with a breakfast of elaborately decorated eggs.  The custom of exchanging decorative eggs was prevalent in the cultures of many of the world’s ancient civilizations, long before the emergence of the chocolate egg!  The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all regarded the egg as a symbol of the universe or a creation of God.  Eggs also represented fertility, resurrection and new life.

For perfect egg recipes this Easter, make sure you use eggs bearing the Lion Quality mark, which guarantees that they have been produced to the highest standards of food safety. All Lion Quality eggs come from British hens vaccinated against salmonella, are fully traceable and have a ‘best before’ date on the shell as a guarantee of freshness.