My iPhone did that thing where it serves you a curated album of old photos this week. I found myself flicking through pictures from this time two years ago, from that strangest of springs when we were all at home, frantically Zooming and home-schooling, with no idea of what was still to come. There are endless pictures taken on the same two walks, and I seem to have photographed almost everything we ate in that first lockdown – every cake, every sourdough loaf, every boiled egg, every Friday night dinner. I’m not sure many of us would want to return to that time, but I must admit, scrolling through the pictures I felt oddly nostalgic for those few days over the Easter of 2020, when the sun seemed to permanently be out and our worlds got very small for a time.
Last Good Friday, my phone reliably informs me, sea bass was on the menu – fillets pan fried in a herby, limey butter. They would make a lovely Good Friday fish supper. The Easter before, which will forever be known as the lockdown Easter, it felt more like July than April and we sat around a great pan of paella in the garden into the wee hours.
In London, it looks as if it might almost *whisper it* reach barbecue temperatures this weekend. If you’re cracking out your grill, I salute you. If it’s going to be a weekend of hosting, a weekend of hot cross buns and too much chocolate and a roast leg of lamb, you might like something fresh and easy to see you into the long weekend. Something like this one-pot chicken dish with plenty of chipotle chilli, lime and coriander.
It’s a great one for a crowd, and particularly good if you need to get ahead as it’ll happily be made a day in advance. If you’re planning on forcing everyone to sit outside this weekend, this could be a nice warming dinner to entice the more cold blooded among you. I like to serve it with baked sweet potatoes, and some avocado crushed with more lime and coriander.
