Thrifty Easter Gifts

Are holidays just too commercial? Fed up of your kids whinging in the supermarket aisles?

This Spring make your own Easter gifts, free of branding and to your own taste - you can even get the kids to help out (or at least lick the spoon.)

Home-made Chocolate Eggs

• Save the plastic casing from a shop-bought egg to use as a mould
• Melt your chosen chocolate in a bowl above a pan of boiling water
• Pour the melted chocolate into both moulds, and tip to cover the whole shape, making sure to keep the texture even and not to leave a thick puddle at the bottom
• Allow the eggs to set, and repeat the process two more times, until the halves are as thick and delicious as you want
• When both halves are cool, use a small amount of melted chocolate around the edges to glue into a whole egg

If you’re feeling creative, use white or dark chocolate as well to create a marbled egg, or fill your eggs with sweets. Try to use Fairtrade chocolate where possible.

Dyed Eggs

To liven up your kids’ Easter breakfasts, colour hard boiled eggs:

• Soak a paper towel in water and vinegar, before dropping on food colouring of your choice
• Place the paper around your egg, and wrap the whole thing in clingfilm
• Leave for half-an-hour, then enjoy

Cress-Head Eggs

Let your kids enjoy their colourful egg– then tell them you can bring the shell to life!

• Put the empty egg shell into an egg cup, and draw on facial features with a marker pen
• Wet a small piece of cotton wool, and place it in the bottom of the shell
• Sprinkle cress seeds onto the cotton wool
• Protect your egg with a piece of paper until the seeds begin to sprout
• Move it next to a window
• Gently water every day until Mr or Mrs Egg has a lovely green head of hair
• Give it a ‘hair cut’ and have some delicious cress sandwiches – eating their greens has never been so fun!