A Czech/Scottish Easter

Now 15 years old, these Easter eggs are a reminder in our house of similarly bitterly cold Easter on Speyside. Our au pair that year, Lenka, was from the Czech Republic, and was determined that our Easter eggs would be properly decorated in the traditional Czech way. Having sent home for the necessary transfers and dyes, Lenka then organised an onion-skin gathering trip to the local Tesco for the dye that would give some of the eggs their lovely, mottled brown colouring. I remember that under her guidance we bought one onion and a lot of loose skins - why buy a pound of onions if it's only the skins you need? Very appealing to Scottish sensibilities.

The eggs were varnished once cool, and although we rolled the plain dyed ones, we kept those with the beautiful transfers and flower designs. Amazingly most of them have lasted. I like to display them in this Swedish dish, handmade from alder and ash.





This design was made by pressing a small flower against the surface of the egg and then tying on a piece of mesh from the sort of bags that oranges come in.

The rolling took place on the same hill that I rolled Easter eggs on as a child - a lovely continuity, and with the added scenic background of a castle dating from the 13th century. I wondered each year what the original inhabitants of the castle would have made of the egg rolling.





Below, my Easter 'branch' decorated with painted eggs, birds, birds' nests and rabbits.







And outside, brave crocuses and pansies. We are heading off to the allotment this afternoon despite the cold, to start the Spring Dig. I'm already looking forward to the hot cross buns we'll have earned when we come back.

Wishing you a Happy Easter from Scotland.