Obsidian Essay | Cooking] My Easter Table: A British & New England Tradition

Switching gears a bit today. I've been in London for nine years now, and last year, I officially became a UK citizen. It felt like the right moment to finally do something I'd been meaning to do for a while — pull together a proper Easter tradition for the family and friends. One that felt like me. So I did exactly that: I reached back into my (Toronto, Canada), New England and New York upbringing, layered in everything I've picked up living in the UK over the past nine years, and built a table that holds both worlds at once.

This is that table. And this is the tradition I'm keeping from here on out.

The Baking

Let me start where my heart always starts — at the oven.

• Hot Cross Buns were the very first thing I bought, before the sun was even fully up on Good Friday. Mine are studded with currants and a hint of orange zest, glazed sticky and golden straight out of the oven, with the classic cross piped across the top in smooth icing. The British have been baking these since the 12th century, and the moment I pulled my first tray out, I understood completely why they never stopped. These are now my Good Friday morning ritual. Non-negotiable. Recipe.
• Simnel Cake is one of those recipes that feels almost ceremonial to make. A beautifully spiced fruit cake, layered through the middle with soft marzipan, and crowned on top with eleven hand-rolled marzipan balls. It is ancient, it is elegant, and it is stunning on an Easter table. I'll be honest — I was a little intimidated the first time. But once you make it, you realize it is less about perfection and more about patience and intention. It sits at the center of my table every year now, like a quiet, edible heirloom. Recipe.
• Earl Grey Cake is my personal love letter to British tea culture baked into layers. I steep the batter itself with strong brewed Earl Grey, and the bergamot comes through in this soft, floral, slightly mysterious way that people can never quite place until I tell them. Frosted with a honey or lavender buttercream, it is one of the most quietly impressive things I make. It feels like afternoon tea and celebration all at once — exactly right for Easter. Nine years of living here and I still get a little thrill every time I bake with tea. Some things never get old. Recipe.
• New York Crumb Cake is where the New England and New York side of my table begins to show up. That thick, buttery, brown sugar crumb topping sitting over a tender vanilla sour cream cake — this is Easter brunch in a pan. I make a full sheet of it, and it never, ever lasts. It is the kind of cake that requires no occasion and yet somehow elevates every occasion it shows up to. Warm, with a cup of coffee, on Easter morning? There is nothing better. My London friends have started asking for this one specifically, which makes me quietly very proud. Recipe.
• Carrot Cake in the New York bakery tradition is a thing of real beauty — dense, deeply spiced, loaded with freshly grated carrot, toasted walnuts, and a generous swipe of tangy cream cheese frosting between each layer. This is not a delicate cake. It is a celebration of a cake. Every Easter table deserves one, and this one earns its place at mine. Recipe.
• Boston Cream Pie — and yes, it is technically a cake, which has always delighted me — is one of New England's greatest contributions to the dessert world. Two layers of golden sponge, filled with the most silky, luxurious vanilla pastry cream you can imagine, and finished with a glossy dark chocolate ganache poured over the top. It is elegant without being fussy, and it makes everyone at the table feel taken care of. A little piece of home, right there on a London table. Recipe.

The Table

A beautiful Easter spread needs a centrepiece, and I have two.

• Maple & Mustard Glazed Salmon is my New England nod to the Easter table, and it never fails to impress. I take a whole side of salmon, glaze it with real maple syrup, whole grain mustard, and a little fresh dill, then roast it until it's just perfectly flaked and caramelized at the edges. It is elegant without being fussy, and it brings that sweet, smoky depth I love — getting good maple syrup in London took me a while to figure out, but I've got my source now and I'm not telling anyone. Recipe.
• And then there is the Beef Wellington — my grand British Easter Sunday centrepiece, and honestly, one of the most satisfying things I have ever learned to make. This year, I've delegated to the restaurant version. A beautiful beef tenderloin, seared until deeply crusted, wrapped in a layer of earthy mushroom duxelles and thin prosciutto, then encased in golden, impossibly flaky puff pastry. When it comes out of the oven it is bronzed and stunning. And when you slice it at the table — that blush-pink centre revealed inside the pastry — the whole room goes quiet for a second. That moment is worth every bit of effort it takes to get there. If Hot Cross Buns are Good Friday, then Beef Wellington is absolutely Easter Sunday. Together, they bookend the whole weekend perfectly. Recipe.

In Closing...

I wanted a tradition that didn't make me choose between where I came from and where I am now. So I didn't choose. The New York crumb cake sits beside the Simnel Cake. The Parker House Rolls share the table with the Beef Wellington. The Boston Cream Pie and the Earl Grey Cake exist happily in the same afternoon. It all fits, because it's all me.

That's the thing about building your own tradition — you get to decide what belongs.

So this is my Easter table now. It will be my table next year, and the one after that. The recipes will evolve. I'll get better at the Simnel Cake. I'll try a new glaze on the salmon. I'll tinker with the Earl Grey frosting until it's exactly, finally right. But the spirit of it — the two worlds sitting comfortably together, the kitchen warm and full, the family fed — that stays.

Every tradition has to start somewhere. This one started here, in my London kitchen, nine years in the making.

And I cannot wait to do it all again next year! 🐣

What does your Easter table look like? I'd love to know in the comments.