For many of us, Easter 2020 was spent in lockdown without the comfort and joy brought by our nearest and dearest.

This year, let’s make up for it.

Between the seasonal baking and the traditional egg hunt, how can you make this year’s Easter more exciting than ever?

Here are five ways to jazz up your favourite chocolate-covered holiday.

When buns meet jam doughnuts

Hot cross buns are an annual staple, but here’s a hot new take on the Easter classic.

If you’re a kitchen wiz (and have the time), you can try baking your own hot cross bun jam doughnuts from scratch. 

But if you’re looking for a quick way to elevate your store-bought buns, it’s much easier than you think.

Using a piping bag, pipe a small amount of your preferred jam into the sides of the buns.

With a pastry brush, coat your buns with melted butter and then sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top.

Bake your bun-doughnut hybrids in the oven for seven minutes and dust with some extra cinnamon sugar before serving warm.

Why stop at strawberry jam, when you can try blueberry, raspberry, apricot, or blackberry? Photo: Getty 

But if you missed out, fret not: you can always make your own.

For six cups, you’ll need:

• Two 750ml bottles of apple cider
• Two tablespoons lemon juice
• Six cinnamon sticks
• One teaspoon maple syrup
• One teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Powered cinnamon sugar
• One cup of gin
• Two thick apple slices
• Two slim lemon slices.

Combine the apple cider, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, maple syrup and nutmeg in a medium saucepan, and set it on high heat until it boils.

Reduce to a low heat and simmer for three minutes. Add in the apple and lemon slices, and set aside to cool for five minutes.

Once cooled, stir in gin, and coat the rim of your serving glass with cinnamon sugar. Pour and enjoy (responsibly).

 Easter egg hunt: Adult edition

The Easter egg hunt is a kids’ favourite, but who said they get to have all the fun?

Give the people what they really want.

Footage of adults scrambling to find large bottles of wine in their Easter hunts are currently doing the rounds on social media.

Instead of the beloved chocolate-covered egg, or the 750-millilitre bottle of Shiraz (which, let’s face it, isn’t really the easiest thing to hide), why not try a hunt with mini bottles of alcohol?

A trip to your favourite bottle shop will reveal all your beloved spirits, wines and beers also come in adorable teeny, tiny bottles.

Watching your closest friends scurry about and trip over themselves to uncover these bar-fridge favourites could be the start of an annual tradition they’ll never forget.