EASTER weekend is always a great time to get together with friends and family and share some great Worcestershire-grown food and drink.

If you are entertaining today, tomorrow or Monday, then now is the perfect time to head to your local farmers’ market and pick up some special ingredients to make this Easter a tasty one.

Lamb is always a favourite at this time of year – in fact, the roast lamb dinner that many eat on Easter Sunday goes back to the first Passover of the Jewish people. The sacrificial lamb was roasted and eaten, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, in hopes that the “angel of God would pass over their homes and bring no harm”.

So, if you feel like having a traditional Easter meal, then head to today’s farmers’ market in Victoria Square, Droitwich (9am to 2pm), or tomorrow’s market in Angel Place, Worcester, (9am to 3pm) where you will find plenty of lamb on offer.

If you are cooking roast lamb, make sure you calculate the proper cooking time. Weigh the joint and allow 25 minutes for each 450g plus 25 minutes. So if your joint weighs 1,350g, the cooking time will be one hour and 40 minutes. That will give you a medium cooked joint.

After cooking you have to let the meat rest for at least 15 minutes to allow it to ‘relax’ and make it easier for carving, so include that in your timetable for the day.

As well as your lamb, of course, don’t forget some fresh veg and a few sweet Easter treats. Head to the Country Markets, Tastebuds, Churches Bakery, Cottage Cakes and Hanley Swan Bakery stalls either today or tomorrow for cakes – including traditional simnel cake – and much more.

Next weekend’s market is in High Street, Bromsgrove, on Saturday, April 10, from 9am until 5pm.