While most people in the UK eagerly await the four-day Easter weekend, for others it's the busiest time of the year. We speak to five people in these busy Easter-time jobs to find out how they prepare to cope with the demand.
So while you tuck into your Easter egg, hot cross bun or open an Easter card, spare a thought for the hard work and planning that has gone into getting it to you this weekend.
Jenny Malenoir, chocolatier, Cadbury World
"As a chocolatier at Cadbury World I give chocolate making demonstrations to our visitors, explaining the whole process from cocoa bean to finished product. One of the most exciting and imaginative parts of my job is coming up with one-off chocolate creations for display at the attraction, which I help to decorate, often with very intricate and colourful designs.
"At Easter, the team of chocolatiers is particularly busy as we make and decorate hand-crafted chocolate eggs for the Cadbury World shop. We've recently made three giant, 3ft tall Easter eggs to raise money for local charities. I love my job because I get to share an insight into the manufacturing process with our visitors and indulge my creative side."
David Jackson, head chef, The Leathes Head Country House Hotel, Borrowdale, Lake District
"Being any kind of chef or caterer during Easter is a hard feat. Like Christmas, it's a big event for family gatherings and big meals. I need to prepare my most popular dish – roast lamb – well in advance. Herdwick lamb, farmed at the nearby Yew Tree Farm in Rostwaite, is a very popular seasonal dish for us at Easter and our lamb roast is a favourite for our locals, who come back to enjoy it every year.
"It's a lovely time of year to work in, and when spring has sprung, it completes the package of good food and good old Cumbrian fresh air. I have a soft spot for cooking desserts, as well as savoury dishes, and cooking with fine chocolate is something I equally enjoy for Easter. We're also running exclusive chocolate masterclasses for anyone staying with us over Easter and throughout April."
Neil Nugent, executive chef of product development, Morrisons
"I'd say my overall responsibility is to make sure that Morrisons delivers the most delicious Easter. We make all of our own hot cross buns and as we're expected to sell over 4 million in Easter week alone, they're definitely a key focus for us. I'm constantly tasting and checking all of our Easter food to ensure that we have the most delicious products out there.
"Some of my favourites from this year have been our Easter bunny bread and cupcakes – a lovely sweet treat for my taste buds. Believe it or not, I've already started working with our in-store specialists on developing new products for next year."
Lynda McGovern, marketing manager, One4all, gift card company from the Post Office
"I manage all aspects of marketing the One4all gift cards, including overseeing the Easter card designs and ensuring all 11,500 UK Post Offices have deliveries into store on time. Easter is one of our busiest times of year, outside of Christmas, as gift cards make a great alternative gift to chocolate, so it is always a very busy period for us.
"We prepare for Easter well in advance and tend to work at least four months ahead in terms of scheduling. So I am usually signing off Easter artwork at Christmas. We've recently launched a personalisation service for our gift cards. This has given us a few laughs and surprises with some of the photos people send through. We've had some very funny photos of cute dogs dressed up as the Easter bunny this year."
James Burrows, buying manager, in-store bakery, Asda
"Easter just wouldn't be the same without hot cross buns, which is why we start preparing for it a year in advance. We search the globe for the best ingredients and my research can take me as far as Europe and Asia to find the juiciest sultanas and the right blend of spices. Once we've nailed the recipe, it's about making sure we've ordered the right quantities of each ingredient from our suppliers. This year, we've ordered over 1m kg of fruit and over 60,000kg of spices to make the 47 million hot cross buns we expect to sell in the run up to Easter.
"Once everything is ordered, I have the lucky job of travelling to our in-store bakeries to sample the hot cross buns. It's right now (April) that all our hard work and preparation is put to the test with hundreds of bakers closely following our recipe each morning to produce around 8 million packs of hot cross buns. You might think that by now I'd be sick of the sight of a hot cross bun – but come Easter weekend there is nothing I like more than one freshly toasted with lots of butter."
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