Dye your own eggs
We’ve been inspired by the beautiful egg decorating traditions from Eastern and Mediterranean Europe, so we thought we’d show you how to make your own at home!
Difficulty: Medium
Make sure you have a parent to help with cooking and an apron to protect yourself from stains, and then it's time to get started:
- Boil eggs in plain water, as you normally would. Set aside to cool.
- Make your dyes! Choose an ingredient according to your desired colour:
Coffee for deep brown
Yellow onion skins for yellow-brown
Turmeric powder for bright yellow
Chilli powder or paprika for orange
Beetroot for purple
Red cabbage for blue
Blueberries for deep blue - Place your chosen ingredient in a pot of water with a splash of vinegar and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain into a heatproof bowl or container.
Alternatively if you don't want to make your own dye, you can also add 20 drops of food colouring to a container with half a cup of water and 3 tablespoons of vinegar. - It's time to decorate your eggs! There are a few ways you can add shapes and patterns. Find some interesting leaves or flowers and place them on the eggs as a stencil. Cut up an old stocking or thin fabric like muslin and use it to carefully tie the stencil in place. You can also use waxy crayons, stickers or tape to draw shapes, patterns and designs onto your eggs.
- Place the eggs carefully into your dye so that they are completely covered. Soak for at least 30 minutes - the longer you leave them, the stronger the colour will be. Leaving them overnight gives very vibrant colours. If you want to soak your eggs for more than 2 hours, move the bowl to the fridge.
- Finally, remove your eggs and pat them dry. You can use olive oil or butter to polish them if you like.