Great Days Out Six-page Easter special

The very nest in show From chocolate making to cheeky penguins, here’s our comprehensive guide to having a cracking time If you’re on the hunt for things to do this Easter, our latest edition of Great Days Out should have all bases covered. Explore the sweeter side of London life with our calorie-laden round up and discover a deadly Victorian sweet shop, chocolate-making masterclass, and even an afternoon tea fit for a French queen. If that doesn’t send sugar levels spiralling, we’ve also cherry picked our favourite Easter eggs for the season, ranging from a decadent creation by a Michelin star chef, to palate-twisting liquorice balls blended with dulce de leche. There are also some non-edible options for those who prefer to steer clear of chocolate. With spring in full flow, it’s a good time to celebrate our city’s wildlife by visiting some of the excellent animal attractions in the capital. Amble along to Europe’s largest city farm at Mudchute, join a yoga class with rescue cats, or help toads to cross the road safely in Richmond Park. With events suitable for all ages, there are enough novel ideas here to make sure you have a cracking Easter break.

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evening standard Thursday 19 March 2015 

Easter special | Great Days Out

A weekend for sweet feasting Sarah Marshall picks London’s most delicious holiday events – there’s more than classic egg-hunts going on FIND PROOF IN THE PUDDING You should always save space for dessert, particularly when dining at gastropub York & Albany. Head chef Kim Woodward has devised an Easter treat for chocoholics, consisting of a dark chocolate shell filled with tonka bean panna cotta and a passion fruit ganache (left). It’s the icing on the cake for a seasonal spring menu where highlights include sweet scallops glazed with chorizo on a bed of almond pesto, and hazelnut-crusted halibut with exceptional bite. On Easter Sunday, a meerkat, a gliding possum and tortoise will form part of a petting zoo for kids, and cookie decoration classes will also be taking place. Parents, meanwhile, can digest by sinking back into one of the bar’s tall velvet armchairs, with a view to neighbouring Regent’s Park. ■ 127-129 Parkway NW1. yorkandalbany.com

HONOUR A FRENCH FANCY Marie Antoinette clearly had her head screwed on when she declared, ‘Let them eat cake’. Taking inspiration from the 18th-century French queen (below), chef Sophie Michell has created an afternoon tea dripping in creamy, bubbly decadence. Book a bay window table at the Pont Street restaurant, part of the Belgraves hotel, and get set for an afternoon of frivolity. A glass of Ruinart champagne, infused with a choice of rose or raspberry edible pearls, is accompanied by a platter of indulgent pastries and savoury snacks fitting for a lady of excess. The fondant fancies are perfectly moist and the absinthe choux, filled with a delicately flavoured cream, is a triumph. ■ 20 Chesham Place SW1, £45. thompsonhotels.com

COOK UP A SUGARY TREAT Learn how to make your own calorific creations at the Landmark London hotel’s twotwentytwo restaurant (right). The resident chocolatier and pastry chef will guide you through the delicious process of chocolate making while you sink back into a leather sofa and sip a glass of bubbly. You can pipe a design onto an Easter egg and adorn it with sugarcraft decorations before learning to mix a boozy chocolate cocktail in the adjoining bar. Then tuck into a twocourse meal in the restaurant, smug in the knowledge that your very own egg is being boxed up as you eat. ■ 222 Marylebone Road NW1, £75pp. landmarklondon.co.uk/en

SIP MAGICAL SYRUPS She’s responsible for bringing us Harry Potter, but surely one of JK Rowling’s greatest inventions has to be Butterbeer (right). Tasting like liquid shortbread coated with butterscotch, it’s a wizardly concoction all ages can enjoy and is one of the highlights of a visit to the Making of Harry Potter studio tour. Order a pint of the nonalcoholic beverage after visiting the attraction and remember to get a selfie of your Butterbeer moustache. Top up on sugar levels by buying a packet of Bertie Bott’s every-flavour gourmet jelly beans. ■ Leavesden, Herts WD25, adults £33, over fours £25.50. wbstudiotour.co.uk SEARCH FOR EDIBLE TREASURE The National Trust will be teaming up with Cadbury to offer cracking capers at their properties across the UK. Head to Henry VIII’s former lodging, Sutton House in Hackney, to search for clues in hidden chests. While at Fenton House in Hampstead, children will be encouraged to explore the orchards surrounding the 17th-century merchant’s house. Follow clues successfully and you’re rewarded with a Cadbury chocolate Egghead. ■ Tickets £1.50 to £3, in addition to standard entry fees. nationaltrust.org.uk

choose YOUR POISON There’s nothing sweet about London Dungeon’s death by chocolate event (right), where the delights on offer promise to be seriously deadly. From 28 March to 12 April, Miss Edmunds will be opening her toxic Victorian Sweetie Shoppe shop to the public with limited edition boxes of violent screams available for a (un)lucky few. Miss Edmunds is based on a real-life character, Christiana Edmunds, who poisoned wealthy residents in Brighton by feeding them chocolates laced with strychnine, then ended up in Broadmoor. While her creamy creations won’t send you to a deathbed, they might leave a rather unusual taste in your mouth. ■ County Hall SE1, adults £25.95, kids £20.95. thedungeons.com/london

SWALLOW THE SURREAL A new interactive Alice in Wonderland has the audience exploring a multi-room set in the Vaults of London, with their journey down the rabbit hole determined by their decisions. Everyone, though, will have an opportunity to participate in a Mad Hatter’s tea party, and to play a round of croquet with the Queen of Hearts. The puppet show is suitable for ages five plus. ■ Leake Street, SE1. Tickets £18.50, children £12.50. Runs from 11 April to 29 May. alice-underground.com

Watery adventures for the kids London Duck Tours Few people would brave swimming the Thames, but in one of London Duck Tour’s amphibious vehicles you can make a splash without getting wet. ■ Adults £24, kids £16. londonducktours. co.uk Sponge Out of Water Certain to be a box office hit this Easter half term, the new SpongeBob film sees the underwater hero travel to dry land in an attempt to reclaim the secret

Krabby Patty recipe from evil pirate, Burger Beard. ■ In cinemas from 27 March. Against Captain’s Orders An immersive seafaring extravaganza by the National Maritime Museum and Punchdrunk Enrichment, which runs from 28 March to 31 August. Children aged six to 12 can join HMS Adventure on a journey through the exhibition brought to life by actors. ■ Greenwich, £19.75. rmg.co.uk

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Great Days Out | Easter Special

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Visit these purrfect attractions From rescue cats in Bethnal Green to lemurs in Regent’s Park, there are plenty of animal-themed events to savour, says Polly Weeks SEA HORSING AROUND Did you know that male seahorses carry babies rather than the females? Find out more about the egalitarian sea creatures at Sea Life London Aquarium’s new Sea Dragon Kingdom, which opens on 29 March. Spot the weedy sea dragons, yellow seahorses and alligator pipefish, and look hard for juveniles, which are just 4cm long. At the other end of the fishy scale are the ocean giants who inhabit Shark Walk, a glass-covered walkway where sharpTOAD TRIP Head to Richmond Park where, during spring, large numbers of resident toads make a pilgrimage to Ham Common to lay their spawn. Roads are closed to cars to protect the toads on their travels. “Common toads have a strong migratory instinct and will follow the same route back to ancestral breeding ponds each spring,” explains Julia Clarke, Head of Ecology at the Royal Parks. ■ Richmond Park, Holly Lodge, TW10. royalparks. org.uk

toothed fish swim below your feet. Visit first thing or towards the end of the day when there are less queues. ■ County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1. Tickets from £18.36, children £13.52. visitsealife.com/london LOUNGE WITH THE LEMURS They made their name in Hollywood and now lemurs (right) are stealing the limelight at ZSL London Zoo as part of new a exhibit, In with the Lemurs. Visitors can walk through a new male lemur area, which has been designed to replicate a Madagascan shrub forest and is home to 15 ring-tailed lemurs and a black-and-white ruffed lemur called Storm. When the weather’s fine, you’ll most likely find the sun-loving creatures basking on platforms and soaking up rays. ■ Regent’s Park, NW1. Tickets from £22.50, children from £16.65. zsl.org LISTEN TO DEER TALES Find birds of prey, strutting peacocks and even tiny terrapins in deepest South London at Charlton’s Maryon Wilson Animal Park. On 29 March, there’ll be a day of Easter-themed activities with an egg hunt, face painting and a birds of prey display by Hawk & Hood. The real highlight though is a storytelling

activity next to the deer pen, where the audience sits on hay bales and listens to various animal tales. The fourlegged participants have been known to get over-excited in previous years, although not as animated as the Greenwich Morris Men who’ll also be putting on a show. ■ Flamsteed Road, Charlton SE7. Egg hunt £2 per person. maryonwilsonanimalpark.org.uk CHUTE ON OVER For a long country walk slap-bang in the capital, visit Mudchute, a 32-acre farm (right) in the shadow of Canary Wharf. Little ones will love Pets Corner with its guinea pigs, rabbits, dumbo rats and ferrets, and from 30 March to 2 April an Easter bunny will be on hand to dish out chocolate treats. Bonnetmaking sessions and an Easter bonnet parade will also be held on 2 April.

■ Mudchute Park & Farm, Pier Street, Isle of Dogs, E14. Free admission. Easter egg hunt, £1 per child; bonnet making £2 donation. mudchute.org

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Great Days Out | Easter special

Tuck into some innovative treats It’s not all about chocolate. Sarah Marshall and Polly Weeks pick some novel ways to celebrate SOFT TOUCH For a sweet alternative, try this 100% silk bashful bunnies cushion from London-based Silken Favours. How much: £95 Where from: amara.com

PARISIAN CHIC An egg by gourmet chef Alain Ducasse is surely worthy of three Michelin stars. How much: £45 Where from: Bulgari Hotel, Knightsbridge, SW7

ONLY FOR THE BRAVE Liquorice, habanero chilli and dulce de leche combine with surprisingly excellent results in this gourmet egg by Lakrids. How much: £19.95 Where from: harveynichols.com

HOP TO IT Alex Monroe’s gold-plated running rabbit ring would be the jewel in any Easter egg hunt. How much: £132 Where from: alexmonroe.com

NOSTALGIC BITES The Beatrix Potter Easter biscuit tin is a treat for all ages. How much: £39.50 Where from: biscuiteers.com

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