While this may be an Easter weekend unlike any other, without the usual family gatherings and group Easter eggs hunts, that doesn’t mean we can’t still make the most of it. There’s a whole host of digital events, festivals and masterclasses planned over the long weekend that are guaranteed to deliver a dose of much-needed spring joy. Here’s The Glossary’s guide to staying entertained at home this Easter.
Borough Market’s Easter festival
This five-day virtual festival will see top chefs and Borough Market traders come together on Instagram to reveal their finest cooking wizardry through a series of live masterclasses over Easter weekend. Tune in to see baking legends Bread Ahead teach you how to make the perfect hot cross bun, learn expert tips from the market’s butchers on how to cook your Easter roast and join drawing workshops with a selection of artists, designed to keep the kids entertained for hours.
The festival runs from 9-13 April
boroughmarket.org.uk
Laura Jackson’s cookalong on Good Friday
Easter weekend needn’t be all about roast lamb and chocolate eggs, as TV presenter and interiors tastemaker Laura Jackson proves with this live cook along session on Good Friday. Join her as she teams up with Cornwall’s renowned beachside café, The Hidden Hut, to cook their signature paella. All of the ingredients can be found on her Instagram page, so stock up and introduce a bit of Spanish flair to the long weekend.
The cookalong will be broadcast at 6pm for a 7pm serve on Friday 10 April
instagram.com
Hide’s gourmet Easter lunch delivery
Can’t face cooking this Easter weekend? Then you’re in luck. Michelin-starred Hide restaurant in Green Park has teamed up with high-end takeaway app Supper to provide gourmet food deliveries across the city, so you can still enjoy a delicious lunch without having to be a whizz in the kitchen. The Easter banquet for two comes with roast Herdwick lamb saddle, confit new potatoes and crushed peas with mint, finished off with a strawberry and vanilla custard tart. Bon appetit!
Orders can be made between 10-12 April
hide.co.uk
Bestival Easter sleepover
The clever people behind Camp Bestival at Lulworth Castle in Dorset have come up with an ingenious idea for keeping families entertained at home this weekend, creating a brilliant Easter weekend sleepover programme. Featuring an evening storytime special with Kate Winslet, a whole host of creative workshops and a world premier DJ set by Nelly Cook, the 10-year-old daughter of Fatboy Slim, it promises to be a weekend of fun for children and adults alike.
Stay At Home Easter Sleepover will be raising money for The Trussell Trust and Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust whereby virtual festival goers will be able to donate via online donation links throughout the weekend.
From 11-12 April, 9am -9pm
campbestival.net
Raymond Blanc cookery class
As part of its ‘Belmond Invitations’ series, luxury travel purveyors Belmond have invited the legendary chef Raymond Blanc OBE to lead a live spring feast cooking class on their Instagram TV channel. Join in as the Michelin-starred chef reveals the secrets to recreating his ultimate spring dishes, inspired by his time at the helm of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire.
The class will run at 11am on Saturday 11 April on Belmond’s Instagram channel
instagram.com
Andrea Bocelli Music for Hope concert
World-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is holding a special concert, titled ‘Music for Hope’, on Easter Sunday, performed live from the historic Duomo of Milan. While the cathedral would normally be packed throughout this holiday, for this solo performance only Bocelli himself and the cathedral’s organist, Emanuele Vianelli, will be allowed into the Duomo, at the invitation of the city, which has been hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. Bocelli will perform carefully selected pieces, including the well-loved Ave Maria setting by Bach/Gounoud and Mascagni’s Sancta Maria, certain to lift the spirits of those listening around the world.
The Andrea Bocelli Foundation is currently involved in an emergency COVID-19 campaign and has started a fundraiser to help hospitals purchase all the instrumentation and equipment necessary to protect their medical staff. Donate via GoFundMe campaign: gofundme.com
The concert will air at 6pm on Sunday 12 April
youtube.com
Live candlelight concert
If you’re looking to a way to relax and unwind with some soothing classical music this weekend, tune into this livestreamed concert on 12 April, where acclaimed French piano soloist Franck Laurent-Grandpré will be serenading listeners with the works of Beethoven and Chopin, accompanied by the gentle glow of candlelight. Switch off the lights, turn up the volume and prepare to be transported.
The concert will air at 7.30pm on Sunday 12 April
feverup.com
Together We Stretch for the NHS yoga class
At 10am on Monday 13th April Hotpod Yoga is hosting what they hope will be the world’s biggest online yoga class; Together We Stretch for the NHS in aid of the NHS Charities COVID-19 appeal. The goal is that at least 125,000 people will attend (a figure representing just one tenth of the total NHS workforce) and each donating at least £1, which would total £125,000 for the charity.
This community yoga class is an opportunity to take some time out to tune in and connect with thousands of others to reflect and acknowledge the work being done across the country by the NHS, whilst making a donation to show your appreciation.
The 45 minute class will be taught by Hotpod Yoga co-founder Nick Higgins and will be suitable for all levels, including complete beginners. Viewers can choose whether to join via YouTube or Instagram.
The class starts at 10am on Monday 13th April. Pay by donation
hotpodyoga.com; uk.virginmoneygiving.
