After April’s whimsical snowfall, say goodbye to the cold quickly and let’s get ready for sunny spring and Easter treats. It’s time to open the pantry door wide, dust off the shelves and plan your hospitality feasts. After Easter, you can bring out the barbecue, spread out a picnic basket or enjoy a delicious brunch on the terrace, as the season for outdoor activities begins. To help you along, we have collected these unusual ideas from Culinaris, whose latest outlet has just opened at the Hegyvidék shopping centre. And for a quick and easy shop, head to the webshop, where delivery within Budapest is free until Easter.

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Mustards, sauces and pickles

If it’s April, it must be Easter, and if it’s Easter, it must be ham... and if it’s ham, then mustard, horseradish, mayonnaise, delicious sauces and pickles should all feature on the festive table. And at Culinaris, there aren’t just any old products in this category, but the delicious jars by Bornibus are sure to be jewels in the pantry and on the festive table. Among the mustards, you can choose from Dijon, honey, green pepper and spicy Provençal, while the special mayonnaises, you’ll find Bérnaise-sauce and garlic-aioli varieties. Extra-small but even more crunchy pickles, grilled peppers in vinegar juice or olives stuffed with almonds and jalapeño peppers can be great alternatives to the pickled vegetables.

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Healthy snacks

Easter, picnics, barbecue parties... In spring, welcoming guests and going to parties start up again in earnest, but we don't always have time to bake and cook enough to leave time to even sort out snacks for the guests. A great alternative is to throw in a jolly joker, crispy seeds that everyone is happy to serve before the main courses. And if you want to prepare something special, something you can also surprise yourself or your loved ones with, then we recommend the Belazu seed mixes – the smoked chili is guaranteed to be spicy, the pink harissa promises a real extra flavour experience and the truffle-and-pecorino variety should be reserved for special occasions. Alongside the Belazu mixes, it’s worth trying Almondterra’s special gourmet delicacy, in which almonds are roasted in olive oil and turned into salt flakes.

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Season up your week!

Everything starts up again in April and, with the spirit of experimentation also revived, it is time to try something new in the domain of spices as well. At Culinaris, you can seek out exciting spice mixes by Ankerkraut, but beware – because with the pretty bottles and spicy specialities come in a variety of colours, the passion for collecting can quickly catch on. Pink Curry, Magic Dust Rub for BBQ meat, Fisch & Scampi ideal for seafood, Avocado Finisher to flavour avocados, or the Chimichurri spice blend, will open up new horizons in your kitchen.

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Not only ham rules in spring

In April, ham clearly takes centre stage, with tied, smoked, pickled, cooked, seasoned and plain specimens lined store shelves for weeks, and you’re constantly pondering which variety should sit on the festive table this year. We suggest you polish off the ham quickly this year and lived up spring with Culinaris meat specialities like a hearty steak. In gastronomy, the French word entrecôte denotes the noblest cut of beef, referred to as sirloin in Hungarian, from which the perfect steak is made. At Culinaris, you can also pick one of these up, but even if you go for sirloin slices made from Irish Angus, you can still complete an unforgettable feast on your dining table.

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The cheese platter: The king of starters

Whether you’re having guests over, want to spice up a meal or just need something delicious for a snack, creating a cheese selection is always the perfect choice. The counter at Culinaris is full of delicious cheese specialities, among which you’re bound to find your favourite varieties or discover new ones. For example, you should definitely try the 12-month-old Swiss Gruyère hard cheese, the Camembert flavoured with Calvados or the soft Rambol with walnuts. In addition to cheeses, if you would like to add a little extra, like a good wine, you can choose from a great selection in the stores and the Culinaris webshop.

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Irresistible pastries

In April, especially as Easter approaches, of the cakes and pastries, milk loaf is the big hit, whether sweet, savoury, chocolaty or with wild garlic. At Culinaris, you’ll certainly find the fresh baked goods to your liking, and it’s hard to resist the giant braided brioche or the milk loaf with ham-and-horseradish filling, but the pumpkin-seed-onion-and-cheddar version should also surprise you with its taste. And, speaking of baked goods, you might want to hunt down an extra cocoa swirl with extra chocolate or a pistachio croissant. But if you're thinking of a spring picnic or a sunny brunch while browsing at Culinaris, a baguette or a sourdough loaf can also come handy in the picnic basket.

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To raise glasses…

You can never say no to a good G&T in colder weather either, but the season for refreshing drinks is now here. So far, we’ve recommended ingredients to spice up the Easter table, an outdoor BBQ or a spring picnic, but no matter what the occasion, a delicious G&T will surely add to your good mood. Culinaris has a fairly large selection of gins, and we recommend Amass Dry Gin from Los Angeles, prepared by using 29 types of organic spices and herbs. Ingredients include local spices such as California bayleaf and Cascara Sagrada bark, but multicultural plants are well represented by hibiscus, cardamom, cocoa or kaffir-lime leaves. It is characterised by a complex world of flavours, but thanks to its silkiness, it’s just as excellent without tonic as it is in cocktails.

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Shake it up with cocktails!

At Culinaris, in addition to premium gins, there are also plenty of superb tonics to choose from. The English brand Fentimans, founded in 1905, is of proven good quality, and its flavours speak for themselves. Apart from the classic tonic, there is also a pink-rhubarb version, which goes perfectly well with the taste of London Dry Gin, especially with ice, lemon and fresh mint leaves. If you just want a delicious soft drink, try the apple-and-blackberry or cherry-and-cola varieties, and for beer lovers, we recommend the ginger and lemon-beer versions.

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