It's Easter entertaining, done right with Every Night of the Week's Lucy Tweed

She's the brains behind Every Night of the Week, the go-to for approachable recipe inspo, a celebrated Cookbook Author, and renowned Food Stylist who has lent her signature creative flair to everyone from Gourmet Traveller and .delicious, to Archie Rose, Breville and Carriageworks to name a few.

So, what has Sydneysider Lucy Tweed got planned for the fast approaching Easter long weekend, and how can you host like a pro, too?

Read on as Lucy shares with us some ways to get guests involved in the fun, the beauty of the humble tablecloth—where you don't need to break the bank to inject that wow factor, some of the dishes she's planning on serving up (hello, hot cross brioche lobster rolls), and how you can get those leftovers to work that bit harder, by reimagining their original purpose.

Photography: William Meppem

You've no doubt got your finger on the pulse of the latest food, styling and entertaining trends. How will you be embracing them this Easter?

Easter is quite possibly my favourite holiday to celebrate. It's basically a festival of delightful consumption without the added stress of specific activities, over-the-top gift-giving, or even the expectation of social gatherings. The lack of expectation by society means it can be the quietest, laziest, most relaxing time with family or a delightfully raucous long lunch occasion.

Even though we are heading into autumn, it becomes the best time to entertain outside, as the afternoons still have lingering summer warmth but the sun has lost its midday sear.

We didn't have a garden party over summer, so I think we are due for something. That means a few friends and some delicious food that will accompany us from early afternoon into the twinkling festoon-lit darkness of eve.

My favourite way to eat when dining out is often to focus just on the entrees. They seem to have less obligation to fill the diner and more about party and play with ingredients, so this is how I will likely cater—delightful little morsels that you can stagger across the plate in no particular order or sequence.

What are some of your top tips for others looking to do the same?

Entertaining sparks a lot of joy for me from the beginning until the end—well, maybe not the cleanup, so not the very end—but the planning, the inspiration, and the ideas all make me feel a bit excited, just as much as the moment when everyone arrives and we all gather together. It's a very delightful experience.

However, if you find the process daunting, then I would suggest the famous saying I never seem to apply to myself: work smarter, not harder.

The beauty of Australian produce is that we have access to some of the most beautiful things—like the creamiest hummus from the Lebanese takeaway, fresh baguettes, burnt Basque cheesecakes, baby vegetables that are perfect for crudités, white tarama, and incredible Australian-caught cooked prawns—which means you could spend the day prior washing, slicing, dicing, and mixing, and almost completely avoid standing over the stove or near a hot oven at all on the day.

"My other favourite tip—thanks to having a glass splashback, although you could quite easily achieve this by writing a list on a piece of paper—is to write down a list of very simple final jobs that need to be done as close to guests arriving as possible."

It means that when your guests arrive and say, "can I do anything?" You can easily include them in the joy of hosting by getting them to do one of the jobs on the list—maybe cut a baguette, unwrap the cheeses, or carry the wine glasses to the table.

All of these things are incredibly useful, and when I'm asked if they can bring anything—a bag of ice never goes to waste.

Photography: William Meppem

Do you have any absolute must-haves, as well as 'no-no's' when it comes to Easter styling and hosting, and entertaining more generally?

A tablecloth. Now, you don't have to spend a huge amount of money on this. It could be something as simple as an unlined canvas drop sheet from the hardware store or a cut-to-size section of poplin cotton from Spotlight, which is particularly fun if you feel like being adventurous with your colour palette.

A drink station, complete with a big dispenser full of water with mint and orange slices. I like to position this outside so that it encourages people to pass the kitchen when they arrive and gives them somewhere to settle themselves. And because it's outside, I often use a selection of planter pots as ice buckets.

"This year, I vow to put a little bit more energy into my guests' first snack on arrival. Previously, I've been lazy and leaned towards a cheeseboard. However, after a visit to Venice—where we could meander through the streets and chomp on a cicchetti at any time while sipping a spritz—I am totally inspired to make a little more effort in this department."

Also, dessert. I'm not a huge sucker for sweet things; however, I have a Breville ice cream machine, which is totally exciting, so I plan on turning out some sorbet and gelato this year.

I'm also a huge fan of a buffet set to the side where you can pile up dishes so people can help themselves. This gives you the luxury of filling the table as much or as little as you want with flowers, leaves, pebbles, or candles. And if you really want to put share plates on the table, position these first, then decorate around them so that you know you’ve left enough space for everything.

I don't have any huge no-no's except:

• Don't take wine you're not prepared to drink yourself.
  

• Don't bring flowers that require your host to deal with them on arrival. If they're a close enough friend, you should know where the vases are and sort them out immediately.

Photography: William Meppem

What are some of your failsafe dishes for Good Friday and Easter Sunday?

Hot Cross Brioche Lobster Rolls

Taking the Easter theme and running with it. Soft, buttery brioche rolls (hot cross optional), stuffed with cool, lemony lobster salad. Slightly ridiculous. Totally delicious.

Scallops with Miso Butter

An emulsion of miso paste beurre blanc dolloped on a scallop and placed under the grill for a spell.

Tomato & Stracciatella with Mini Garlic Knots

A little ode to the last of summer's tomatoes. The fried knots add a playful mopping utensil and the stracciatella melts into everything.

Charred Peaches with Prosciutto & Whipped Blue Cheese

The perfect balance of salty, sweet, creamy, and smoky. Throw in some crushed walnuts for a little crunch.

Prawn Toast with Sesame & Yuzu Mayo

Crisp, golden, a little bit fancy but still deeply nostalgic. The yuzu mayo cuts through the richness.

Roasted Eggplant with Labneh & Pomegranate

Silky, smoky eggplant, creamy labneh, bursts of sweet pomegranate, and a little crunch of toasted almonds.

Hand-Cut Chips with Rosemary Salt & Aioli

Because a party without hot chips is just a meeting.

A Big-Ass Cheese Board

No explanation necessary. Just go large.

Something Chocolatey to Finish

Maybe a dark chocolate pavlova with crème fraîche and roasted hazelnuts, or Easter egg affogatos with homemade vanilla bean ice cream and a shot of espresso.

Photography: Lucy Tweed

Any advice for making the most of leftovers that the whole family will enjoy?

My biggest advice for leftovers is to keep dressing separate from salads and crispy stuff separate from fresh. Consider where they may go—for instance, leftover potatoes may not be eaten with leftover lamb. The lamb may be turned into a ragu, and the potatoes may be refried and become the basis of a Spanish tortilla.

Sadly, salad rarely makes a comeback. However, more robust ones like slaw work well. And on that note, something slightly wilted with a tangy dressing will be perfect in a grilled flatbread, gozleme-style, with some goat's cheese and lemon.

The key to fabulous leftovers is reimagining the original purpose.

Do you have any other go-to essentials, whether it be a kitchen gadget, through to music to set the tone for the day or night?

How to go from day to night and other wonderful tips.

If you're dining outside—which is ideal at this time of year—make sure you have some insect repellent on hand. Tiger Balm to dab on the ankles and citronella candles to light are my two favourites, and of course, a mozzie coil positioned further away always sparks memories of warmer climate holidays.

Consider evening lighting, whether it be candles or festoon lights. We have some rather inexpensive ones strung about the garden that are solar-powered and enchantingly blink on at dusk every evening, which is lovely.

Is it cool enough for a fire, or will people need to get warmer? Do you have some lap blankets, or perhaps consider suggesting to guests that they bring something warmer for the evening, as the garden may get cold?

Music is a must and is best left tinkering away behind the scenes, just adding an elevation to the mood rather than becoming the centre of attention.

"Try to avoid relinquishing control of this to any guest who may insist on playing banger after unfinished banger, as it's jarring and boring—LOL. If you have a favourite dining venue, perhaps search Spotify for their playlist, as quite often they are published and public."

My favourite kitchen gadgets are as follows, and in order: clean tea towels, a sharp knife, a microplane zester, and lastly, platters.

Photography: William Meppen

How and where can we find more of your recipes, tips and inspo?

My websites are about to merge, which will be an exciting development for 2025—combining the years of my illustrious career as a stylist for events, lifestyle, and food with my passion project, Every Night of the Week, full of recipes.

For now, you can go to www.enotw.com.au to search recipes, find out more about me, and subscribe to my newsletter, which will keep you up-to-date with any new published recipes and exciting website updates.