What to have at Easter if you don't eat lamb?

[RubyFakeLips]

We aren't vegetarian, but between us don't eat lamb, beef or pork.

Want to try and make Easter special as normally spend it on holiday!

What's your menu?

My Mum always does turkey and ham, with all the roast dinner accompaniments. I'm thinking of doing sea bass, salmon, or mussels.

How elaborate do you want to go? I have a lovely recipe (not mine, from a cookbook) for halibut larded with salmon, if you could be arsed threading salmon through halibut.

I never realised Easter was a big deal before seeing threads on here. It's just a long Bank Hol weekend to us with chocolate for the kids.

Big family gatherings (pre Covid) and special food - where did that come from? 😯

If the family were allowed to come I’d be doing turkey or a rib of beef. As it is I’m doing a guinea fowl.

Big family gatherings (pre Covid) and special food - where did that come from? 😯

Do you know what Easter is?

Whatever the heck you like! It's your dinner, whose judging? 🤷‍♀️

(I didn't even know that 'Easter Dinner' was a thing 😱)

If you do not eat beef, pork or lamb, red meats are going to be ruled out generally.

However, fear not. For there are other meats and proteins. Let me give you some examples..

Fish
Poultry
Nuts
Beans

An example of fish might be a sea bass or a trout. Poultry includes duck, chicken and turkey. Nuts and beans can be incorporated into vegan free meals such as loafs and stews.

What about Venison? We had a haunch today which I butterflied so it cooked in 30 minutes. Had a red wine sauce with it and it was just fab. Appreciate not everyone likes game though. There was enough to feed around 10. We are a family of 4 so we will be eating it for days. 😂

I was thinking about my Easter menu earlier too, also can’t stand lamb. I’m thinking of going a bit lighter and more summery so might do monk fish wrapped in pancetta with smashed and roasted jersey royals with lots of garlic and fresh herbs and samphire (if I can get it) and tenderstem broccoli

Sorry just read no pork.

I'm Catholic and "Easter dinner" was never A Thing. I suppose we probably had a roast growing up but that was just what my mum usually did on a Sunday. The chocolate was the main show after Mass though.

@MrsJBaptiste

I never realised Easter was a big deal before seeing threads on here. It's just a long Bank Hol weekend to us with chocolate for the kids.

Big family gatherings (pre Covid) and special food - where did that come from? 😯

Easter is a bigger deal to Christians than Christmas. It sort of rubs off on the rest of us as a major event in the calendar in the UK (assuming you are in the UK). I'm surprised you weren't aware before reading Mumsnet but, again, only if you were brought up in a predominantly Christian country.

@PinkTonic

Big family gatherings (pre Covid) and special food - where did that come from? 😯

Do you know what Easter is?

Yes, but not like it seems to be now!

We went to church, etc. but never planned a huge meal and weekend like things seem to be now. However Christmas is bigger to some people than to others to I guess it's the same thing?

It is a big deal in many countries. We used to have a whole lamb on the spit with a huge family gathering.

Xmas Dinner take two for us.

It's probably the only other time in the year we have a full roast (none of my family are huge roast fans so its a lot of effort for people who don't particularly care!)

I can't wait though!!

• just to caveat and say we have variations on roast dinners (ie lamb neck fillet, minted new potatoes and seasonal veg or beef fillet, mustard mash and veg) but we don't do your traditional roast every weekend.

We are vegetarian and have a whole roasted cauliflower, Levant-style, smothered with spicedbutter and decorated with pomegranate seeds and herbs... it's fabulous and makes for a very attractive and exotic centrepiece! Even my omni mum likes it.

We've had turkey in the past, if not, chicken

Duck, or chicken. We love lamb and do it in a Greek style with tzatziki, melizanasalata, briam.

A gammon ham?

'Easter' is a thing, as I was taught as a child by my Jewish parents so we would always celebrate it, but dependant on it clashing with Passover. My mother is from a country where Easter is HUGE and so yeah it's definitely a thing for us. We often had lamb, which just on smell alone I can't stand.

@NoLeafClover I love Halibut, can you name the recipe so I can find it please? Not sure if I'll do it for Easter but sounds amazing.

@AtleastitsnotMonday Sounds delicious minus the pancetta. I often marinate Monkfish in lemon, oregano, bay and garlic.

@motherstongue Is there a particularly nice cut of venison you would recommend, something like fillet of beef?

Salmon

Also, guinea fowl fans, tell me, how gamey is it? Any recipe recommendations. Not sure I've had it. Do we think average London butcher will have it?

@LadyJaye

We are vegetarian and have a whole roasted cauliflower, Levant-style, smothered with spicedbutter and decorated with pomegranate seeds and herbs... it's fabulous and makes for a very attractive and exotic centrepiece! Even my omni mum likes it.

This sounds spectacular! Do you have a recipe?

I think we will probably have some sort of meat or fish but often have veggie days and would love to eat this another time.

This is meant with no judgement but I really don’t remember Easter lunch being a thing when I was a kid.

I mean, I went to church because I was a Guide (only child - enrolled by a mother who wanted me to socialise, rather then religious reasons). I got one chocolate egg.

But having an Easter Lunch? Totally alien in my heathen / atheist family.

Also, I’m working Good Friday, the Saturday, Sunday and Easter Monday and I hadn’t even realised when Easter fell so I really don’t care about The Meal. (Also worked Christmas)