Lady Claire Macdonald delivers a delicious Easter feast.

We might all be stuck in lockdown but a special celebration is still in order, says Claire Macdonald

We are in the middle of Easter, and today I feel the need for celebration.

This is entirely justified by the joy and hope that Easter brings us.

For the majority of people, this special Easter weekend will be spent in a locked down state, or shared with those in our bubble, and Easter this year, like last year, will not be the gathering of family and friends that it usually is.

Yet celebration is still in order, for Easter itself as well as for the approach of a more relaxed lockdown, hopefully easing into a full return to more normal living, all thanks to the vaccines.

So, what to eat?

Indulgence is the key, and I suggest anything at all which appeals to you, at the same time avoiding anything which necessitates last-minute kitchen activity.

Convenience is the required ingredient for any successful celebration feast!

We will be having roast pork loin, with a shallot, prune and Madeira accompaniment.

With the pork we will have mashed Rooster potatoes, very well hand-whisked with butter, milk and seasoned with salt, black pepper and nutmeg.

We will have sliced sugarsnap peas stir-fried briefly, with garlic and diced ginger and a dash of toasted sesame oil and a couple of tablespoons of soya sauce.

We will also have cauliflower, broken into florets and brushed with olive oil, roasted in a hot oven for 35-40 minutes.

When buying the pork loin, choose the best quality pork you can – raised in Scotland – and choose a slightly larger piece because then you can have it cold for lunch or supper on Monday.

I cut the meat from the bone, but roast it on the bone, which helps prevent shrinkage at the same time as giving more flavour.

For pud, I’ll make one of my favourites, lemon cream rice, with rhubarb and orange compote.

It combines two flavours which I love – vanilla and lemon.

It is a delicious accompaniment to all fruits, as in this case rhubarb flavoured with orange as it cooks on the stove, or as the summer goes on, with soft fruits such as strawberries or raspberries.