Invite spring to your table this Easter

Invite spring to your table this Easter

With spring in the air and new life all around, the natural world outside provides perfect inspiration for brightening up things indoors. As Bettys’ ‘Head of Beautiful’ and the magpie mind behind our lovely window displays, Robyn Cox has a wealth of crafty tips and styling suggestions up his sleeve. Now he’s turned his attention to beautifying your Easter celebrations with these easy but enchanting ideas to try at home.

Set the scene

Whether you’re hosting an Easter dinner or welcoming guests for a springtime afternoon tea, add personality and fun with a pretty, seasonal table setting. Decorate tables with colourful bouquets of spring flowers such as narcissi and create texture and a sense of the outdoors with budding willow nests and fresh green moss.

Your centrepiece could either be a traditional Easter cake such as our Apostle Simnel Fruit Cake, or a festive spread created from a collection of smaller seasonal treats. Iced Easter biscuits, tempting chocolate eggs or dainty cakes such as our Spring Flower Fondant Fancies all add to the theme in the most delicious way.

Ears looking at you

Napkin rings bring class to any table setting and these charming rabbit ear ones are easy to make yourself. Using the sharpest scissors you can find, cut two ear shapes from a piece of hessian cloth, followed by a strip to encircle the napkin.

Sew the parts together, or stick with PVA glue – if you’re worried about the hessian fraying, a tiny amount of glue along each edge will help prevent this. Spring green napkins look wonderful with the natural hessian, and even better if you have a suitably patterned tablecloth and some spring flowers and foliage to complement them.

Another way to bring a bit of fun to your Easter table is to start by laying your napkin flat, then roll it up and around an Easter egg. Add bunny ears by tying the napkin together at the top with string or a colourful ribbon. It’s simple, eye-catching and includes a tasty treat for your guests to take home or nibble at the end of the meal.

Branching out

Decorating your house with an Easter tree is a lovely way to celebrate the arrival of spring. It adds a splash of colour during Easter weekend and makes a stylish centrepiece for your dining table, or could even lend a celebratory feel to a patio seating area.

To make your own, collect some branches or use some artificial pussy willow and place them in a vase or ceramic jug. Decorate them with hanging eggs – we’ve used our Milk Chocolate Eggs in a Keepsake Tin (available in Bettys Yorkshire shops only) – but you could also use blown eggshells, cardboard cut-outs or homemade papier mâché eggs. If you have children, get them involved too, as painting the eggs in colourful patterns is great fun.

Around the base of the tree arrange some pots of narcissi or spring bulbs topped with moss. Create pops of colour with bowls filled to the brim with our Milk Chocolate Easter Eggs or Milk Chocolate Sugar-Coated Miniature Easter Eggs.

Playful Plates

Another easy way to bring some soft spring colour to your table is to simply lay some iced biscuits, such as our Easter Butter Biscuits, on napkins. In the example we've chosen some classic crockery and linen napkins and added a pop of colour with an accent plate and a decorated biscuit. If using your own biscuits, add a personal touch by icing on the initials or names of your guests.

How are you decorating your home this Easter? Share your photos with us on social media tagging @Bettys.