An age old tradition to try with the family.

This is a great way to entertain the kids if it's pouring down and cold outside this Easter. It pays to collect onion skins from your weekly cooking  - we tend to stock pile onon skins for a few weeks so we can make a lot of Pace Eggs!

Making these eggs is an old British tradition and you can still eat these eggs (because they are hard boiled. Tradition suggests you enjoy on Good Friday or throughout the Easter weekend. 

The tradition may have French origins as the word Pace derrives from the french word for Easter, Pâques. 

In some parts of Britain (mainly Lancashire), these eggs are rolled down a hill and the winner is the one that goes the furthest with the least cracks or breaks, another tradition is to give one of these eggs to each person who visits you over the Easter period. 

We really love the traditional method for creating patterns on eggs. At the end of this post is a list of how to achieve even more colours. 

We all love chocolate, but we think making these and handing them out as gifts is something eggstra special.

How to make your pace eggs:

• 12 fresh free-range eggs
• 6 -8 onion skins red and yellow
• aluminium foil
• natural non-coloured string

Instructions 

Peel the outer skins from red and yellow onions and keep. 

Wrap the skins around the eggs - you could insert a flower or leaf next to the egg for a super special design. 

Once you have covered the egg in onion skins, take a piece of foil and cover it completely, then tie it with string.

Take off the heat, and when they have cooled, peel away the string and foil and discard them along with the used onion skins.

Arrange the coloured eggs in a basket and if you want an extra gloss on them - rub them with a little butter to give them chance to shine.

Alternative colours via Martha Stewart:

• Deep Gold: Boil eggs in turmeric solution, 30 minutes. 
• Sienna: Boil eggs in onion-skin solution, 30 minutes. 
• Dark, Rich Brown: Boil eggs in black coffee, 30 minutes. 

If you want some different colours, it's best to boil the eggs first then soak them at room temperature for 30 minutes to achieve the following colours:

• Pale Yellow: Soak eggs in turmeric solution,  
• Orange: Soak eggs in onion-skin solution,
• Light Brown: Soak eggs in black coffee, 
• Light Pink: Soak eggs in beet solution, 
• Light Blue: Soak eggs in cabbage solution,