Nostalgic Easter Cooking

There are a few holidays that evoke a sense of nostalgia but none more so for me than Easter. So steeped in tradition it conjures up wonderful memories of my mother's kitchen where we'd make our batch of pickled fish the Tuesday before Good Friday. It was always a big deal with everyone in the family checking where who was getting their fresh fish from and which places would be unbearably busy and likely to run out before you got there.

Once the pickled fish had cooled it was sealed and placed in the refrigerator to taunt us for the next three days, the golden onions rings just resting on top of the batter fried fish.

Batter fried fish smothered in spicy sauced golden onion rings

In our house it was taken a step further. A deliciously wonderful smelling step further. My mother used to make our own hot cross buns. As a child, I was never a fan of the shop-bought variety stuffed with raisins so my mother's would be lightly spiced with only a handful of raisins dotted throughout the dough - easy to remove. She also never adorned them with the infamous doughy cross but a sugar syrup mixture that left the plump brown mounds glistening. After watching them transform into risen buns I'd sit in front of the warm oven and watch them bake. The smell in the kitchen was intoxicating.

Then the anticipation of Good Friday morning, waking up to our unusual annual breakfast of spicy and slightly sweet pickled fish accompanied by fresh buttered hot cross buns. Delicious!

Fast forward to today and my own pickled fish is resting in the refrigerator taunting my children and I will once again attempt to make my own hot cross buns tomorrow night. Not much has changed and I just love it!