Easter Centrepiece Ideas with Irish Free Range Meat: Elegant Recipes for a Memorable Family Feast
Exceptional Irish Meats for a Weekend to Remember
Easter is about more than tradition. It’s about connection. The kind that comes from gathering in good company, opening a bottle, setting the table, and serving something special. Whether you’re planning a refined Easter lunch or a relaxed Sunday dinner, this is your moment to impress without pretence.
At Butcher.ie, we believe the centrepiece should be as memorable as the people around it. This Easter, we’ve curated a collection of meats that speak of care, quality, and celebration. Each cut is selected by our master butchers for its marbling, balance, and natural flavour. These aren’t just roasts. They’re the kind of dishes that make people pause between bites, pour another glass, and linger at the table just a little longer.
Irish Craft at the Heart of Every Cut
Our Easter collection is rooted in tradition, but prepared with precision. Take our signature rack of Irish lamb. Each one is French-trimmed by hand and ready to roast to blushing perfection. Or the full leg, rich and generous, ideal for feeding a gathering with style. For those looking to serve something truly effortless, our Easter Roast Bundle features honey mustard back bacon and a free range turkey crown. Both are favourites for good reason.
Each of these cuts comes from trusted Irish farms where the animals are raised with care and the standards never slip. When they reach our block, they’re trimmed, tied, and packed with the same attention you’d expect in the country’s best kitchens.
A Menu Made to Impress
With the right ingredients, it doesn’t take much to serve something unforgettable. Our team has developed a suite of Easter recipes that bring each cut to life. Inspired by the best of Irish produce and full of refined flavour, these dishes are simple to prepare but impressive to serve.
Imagine a fire-grilled rack of lamb, finished with roasted red pepper and pomegranate salsa. Or a slow-roasted leg basted in rosemary butter, melting into creamy lemon polenta. Picture honey-glazed back bacon served with saffron potato gratin and a crisp shaved fennel salad. Or perhaps a golden roast turkey crown with sumac butter, burnt lemon and herbed bulgur pilaf.
Each dish is a celebration of balance. Bright where it needs to be, comforting where it counts. Designed not just to fill plates, but to create lasting memories.
From Our Hands to Your Table
We know that hosting is a labour of love. That’s why every Butcher.ie order is packed with care and delivered with precision. Whether you’re in Dublin or Donegal, you’ll receive your Easter centrepiece fresh, expertly cut, and ready to shine.
When the doors open and your guests arrive, you’ll be serving something that speaks for itself. No stress, no compromise. Just a table filled with the kind of food that brings people closer.
This Easter, let the quality of your meat match the quality of the moment. Bring tradition to the table, but make it unforgettable.
Butcher.ie. Traditional craft, delivered fresh.
Fire-Grilled Rack of Lamb with Roasted Red Pepper & Pomegranate Salsa
Product: Signature Rack of Irish Lamb (2 x French-Trimmed)
Serves: 4
Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 25 mins
Description:
Smoky, flame-kissed lamb cutlets, blushing pink at the centre and crowned with a vivid jewel-toned salsa. Crisp charred edges give way to buttery tenderness — it’s bold, primal, and impossible to ignore.
Ingredients:
2 French-trimmed lamb racks
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt & cracked pepper
For the Salsa:
2 roasted red peppers, finely chopped
1 small handful pomegranate seeds
1 tbsp toasted almonds, roughly chopped
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions:
- Mix paprika, cumin, garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Rub over lamb and marinate for 2–4 hours.
- Preheat oven to 200°C or heat BBQ to high. Sear lamb racks on all sides for 2 minutes.
- Roast for 15–18 minutes or until internal temp reaches 52–55°C for medium rare.
- Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Combine all salsa ingredients in a bowl.
- Serve lamb sliced with salsa spooned over the top.
Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Olive Tapenade & Pearl Couscous
Product: Signature Rack of Irish Lamb (2 x French-Trimmed)
Serves: 4
Prep: 25 mins | Cook: 30 mins
Description:
A golden herb crust shatters beneath your knife, revealing juicy, tender lamb so perfectly cooked it almost sighs. Paired with warm pearl couscous and a briny olive tapenade, it’s rustic and refined in equal measure.
Ingredients:
2 lamb racks
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped oregano
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt, pepper & olive oil
For the Tapenade:
100g Kalamata olives, pitted
1 roasted red pepper
1 tbsp capers
1 garlic clove
Juice of ½ lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
To Serve:
Pearl couscous tossed with rocket, cherry tomatoes & pine nuts
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Sear lamb in a hot pan for 2–3 minutes each side, then remove from heat.
- Mix breadcrumbs, herbs, zest, salt and pepper in a bowl.
- Brush lamb with Dijon mustard, press into the breadcrumb mixture.
- Roast for 20–25 minutes, then rest 10 minutes before carving.
- Blitz tapenade ingredients into a coarse paste.
Serve lamb over couscous with tapenade spooned on top.
Butterflied Lamb with Preserved Lemon & Wild Garlic Stuffing
Product: Full Leg of Irish Lamb (2kg)
Serves: 6–8
Prep: 30 mins | Cook: 1.5–2 hrs
Description:
Unfurling like a feast for the senses, this butterflied lamb roasts to blushing perfection, its juices mingling with a vibrant stuffing of wild herbs and citrus. Earthy, zesty, and impossibly fragrant — a celebration of spring.
Ingredients:
1 x 2kg leg of lamb, butterflied
1 preserved lemon, finely chopped
100g wild garlic or baby spinach
1 garlic clove
Small bunch parsley
2 tbsp almonds, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
Instructions:
- Blitz wild garlic, preserved lemon, garlic, parsley, almonds, olive oil, salt and pepper into a coarse paste.
- Spread inside the butterflied lamb, roll tightly, and tie with kitchen twine.
- Roast at 180°C for 1.5 hours or until internal temp reaches 58–60°C.
- Let rest for 20 minutes.
- Slice thinly across the grain.
Serve with minted yoghurt or lemony bulgur.
Slow-Roasted Lamb with Anchovy, Rosemary Butter & Lemon Polenta
Product: Full Leg of Irish Lamb (2kg)
Serves: 6–8
Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 4 hrs
Description:
This is comfort with a crown on — lamb so tender it falls at the touch, bathed in savoury rosemary butter that melts into every crevice. Served with lemon-spiked polenta, it’s indulgence in its most elegant form.
Ingredients:
1 x full leg of lamb
6 anchovy fillets
2 sprigs rosemary
2 garlic cloves
100g softened butter
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
For the Polenta:
150g polenta
500ml chicken stock
300ml milk
Zest of 1 lemon
50g Parmesan
1 knob butter
Instructions:
- Mash anchovies, rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, butter and pepper into a soft compound butter.
- Rub over the lamb. Wrap in foil and roast at 140°C for 3.5–4 hours.
- Uncover for the final 30 minutes to crisp.
- Cook polenta in stock and milk until thickened.
- Stir in lemon zest, Parmesan and butter.
Serve lamb over creamy polenta with pan juices.
Glazed Back Bacon with Saffron Potato Gratin & Shaved Fennel Salad
Product: Easter Roast Bundle – Honey Mustard Back Bacon & Turkey Crown
Serves: 6–8
Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 1.5 hrs
Description:
Sweet, sticky ribbons of caramelised bacon catch the light like lacquered silk. Creamy saffron potato gratin and crisp fennel salad bring balance and beauty to every bite.
Ingredients:
1 x Honey Mustard Back Bacon
2 tbsp orange marmalade
1 tbsp grain mustard
For the Gratin:
6 medium waxy potatoes
300ml cream
Pinch of saffron
2 garlic cloves, crushed
40g Parmesan, grated
Salt & white pepper
For the Salad:
1 fennel bulb, shaved
Juice of ½ lemon
Handful of mint leaves
1 tbsp toasted hazelnuts
Instructions:
- Roast bacon at 160°C for 1 hour.
- Mix marmalade and mustard and brush over bacon. Roast at 200°C for 15–20 mins until glossy.
- Slice potatoes and layer in a dish with cream, garlic, saffron, and Parmesan. Bake at 180°C for 1 hour.
- Toss shaved fennel with lemon juice, mint and hazelnuts.
- Slice bacon and plate with gratin and salad.
Serve warm for a well-balanced, flavourful feast.
Turkey Crown with Sumac Butter, Burnt Lemon & Bulgur Pilaf
Product: Easter Roast Bundle – Honey Mustard Back Bacon & Turkey Crown
Serves: 6
Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 2 hrs
Description:
Golden-skinned turkey, basted in tangy sumac butter, emerges glistening and fragrant. Charred lemon adds brightness, while the bulgur pilaf brings subtle sweetness and crunch.
Ingredients:
1 x turkey crown
100g butter
1 tbsp sumac
1 tsp ground coriander
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt & pepper
For the Pilaf:
200g bulgur wheat
1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
50g dried cherries or apricots
Handful pistachios
Fresh dill & spring onions
Instructions:
- Mix butter with sumac, lemon zest, coriander, salt and pepper. Rub under the turkey skin.
- Roast at 180°C for 1.5–2 hours, basting occasionally.
- Char lemon halves in a dry pan or oven.
- Sauté shallot in oil, stir in bulgur and dried fruit. Add 400ml boiling water and simmer until absorbed.
- Fluff bulgur and stir through pistachios, dill and spring onion.
- Serve carved turkey with pilaf and burnt lemon on the side.
