Easter in the United Kingdom has inspired a range of unique and delicious culinary traditions. While British cuisine isn’t usually celebrated worldwide for its stand-out dishes, Easter brings to the table some treats—especially desserts—worth discovering.
Our journey into British Easter traditions begins with the ever-popular and essential chocolate Easter eggs, now enjoyed across the globe. Eggs symbolize fertility and new life, and thus stand for light, hope, renewal, and rebirth.
In the past, people in Britain would exchange and eat hard-boiled eggs, painted with different colors and patterns. Today, these have largely been replaced by chocolate eggs, a delight especially for children. Chocolate eggs are often filled with sweets and are the highlight of Easter egg hunts, where kids search for brightly colored eggs cleverly hidden around the house or garden by the Easter Bunny.
Children are told that if they’re well-behaved, the Easter Bunny will reward them with chocolate eggs.
Egg-themed games are also popular in the UK: in one game, players roll eggs against each other or down a slope; the winner is the one whose egg remains unbroken the longest. Another version has each player holding an egg in the palm of their hand, tapping it against an opponent’s egg—if your egg breaks first, you lose. This is especially common in Northern England, where children also compete to see whose egg rolls furthest down a slope.
In many parts of England, children go from house to house asking for eggs for Easter dinner. In other regions, kids have traditionally hunted for eggs just to play with them—these eggs were later boiled and dyed with juices from various herbs and flowers. Once decorated, the eggs were rolled across fields like bowling pins or thrown into the air like balls.
One of the classic Easter foods is the Hot cross bun, traditionally baked to be eaten only on Good Friday, but now enjoyed throughout the Easter season.
These are soft, spiced buns with currants, raisins, or chopped candied fruit. Before baking, a cross is scored into the top, which is later filled with a sugary glaze, giving the bun its signature look.
Children usually sing a nursery rhyme while waiting for the hot cross buns, asking adults for their holiday treats in case they haven’t got any.
Another typical Easter sweet is the Simnel cake, which marks the end of Lent.
This light, crumbly cake resembles a fruit loaf, topped with a thin, crisp crust made from water and flour colored yellow with saffron.
It’s filled with candied lemon peel and dried fruit. According to legend, the cake’s name “Simnel” comes from Simon and Nelly, a couple who created the dessert using leftover pastry, a plum pudding, and eggs cracked during an argument.
