Food has always played an important role in Italian Easter celebrations and no one is more aware of this than Jennifer McLaughlin, executive chef for Carluccio's Caffes, two of which are in Oxfordshire.

The Carluccio's Caffes, of which there are now 30 countrywide, are the creation of Antonio Carluccio, the chef who gets most of the credit for bringing the joys of Italian food to this country. It's at a Carluccio's Caffe that we can indulge focaccia bread, which comes oozing with olive oil, having been baked to a luscious crust and salted to perfection. It's one of many breads on offer there.

With the approach of Easter, and following a very successful Italian bread demonstration earlier in the month, Jennifer and her assistant, Valentina Da Prile, will be celebrating the forthcoming holiday by staging an Easter Egg workshop for children at Carluccio's Oxford at the historic Castle site.

The workshop takes place next Thursday at 10.30pm. While the mums and dads are enjoying a Carluccio breakfast. with unlimited tea, coffee or fresh orange juice, the children will be taught how to decorate chocolate eggs and Easter biscuits. Jennifer's aim is to encourage children to have fun with food.

"Traditional Easter foods play a very important role in Italian Easter celebrations," she said. "It's a time when the Italians make special Easter breads and puddings containing eggs such as the savoury Easter bread and, of course, the whole family get involved in the preparations, even the children."

Like so many food enthusiasts, Jennifer is concerned at the lack of interest British families take in food traditions during festivals such as Easter, which is why she is putting so much effort into the series of demonstrations at Carluccio Caffes all over the country.

"I realise that by encouraging people to enjoy cooking at home it may appear as though I am suggesting they don't eat out. That's not it at all. In today's world there's a place for both a home-cooked meal prepared with love and a meal out prepared with great care and expertise by chefs using the finest ingredients.

"My aim is to encourage people to see how important fresh ingredients are and get them to understand what goes into the various dishes they enjoy."

Although Jennifer was born in New Zealand and trained as a chef in France, she loves Italian food and the way Italians still take time to pick up ingredients for a home-cooked meal by shopping at the local market.

'In Italy the kitchen is the hub of the house. It's where everyone congregates. I'd like to think it was the same over here, because cooking is not difficult; it need not be time-consuming either," she added.

During the bread demonstration, Jennifer and Valentina showed Italian food enthusiasts how to make their own bread, so that they could enjoy a taste of Italy in their own homes. This, as her demonstration proved, is also simple to make and takes no time at all to cook.

She began the demonstration by preparing a basic dough for focaccia, a really easy-to-make flat bread often used as an alternative to garlic bread. It's certainly a perfect bread for Easter.

From this basic focaccia dough she went on to show how it could also be used to make pesto rolls and pane casareccio - an Italian bread ring stuffed with cheese, salami and egg, which is often known as country bread, as its origins are rooted in the peasant culture of Italy.

She made grissini bread sticks too using the same dough recipe. These crispy sticks date back to the 14th century and are excellent when served with meals, though they also make great snacks.

Antonio Carluccio, who often sits in on these demonstrations, said: "Italian food is all about simple recipes and fine ingredients. The most simple and delicious food of all, bread, is a very important part of all Italian meals and is often eaten as a meal on its own."

Antonio's love of bread explains why his menus feature a savoury bread tin filled with focaccia, grissini. Ligurian ciappe (which my colleague Christopher Gray describes as being rather like a Bath Oliver), and sliced breads such as raisin and walnut which are served with butter or extra virgin olive oil. This is great way to start a meal.

You can book your children in to Jennifer's Easter Egg demonstration at Carluccio's, Oxford, by calling (01865) 249413. While you are there you can perk up your breakfast with an assortment of delicious breads or buy the flour and olive oil needed to make your own. If you would like watch Jennifer's risotto making demonstration and tasting on Wednesday, May 9, at 6.30pm. you can book now on the same number.

Among other Easter egg activities for children in Oxfordshire is the Blenheim Palace Easter Egg Challenge from April 6 to 9. which invites children to follow an Easter egg trail round the palace grounds. For more information phone (08700) 602080.

If you bring a painted hard-boiled egg to Shotover Country Park on Monday, April 9, children can enter a number of competitions including Spot the Egg, Best Painted Egg and the Fastest Egg. Phone (01865) 715830 for more information.

There's also an Easter Egg Trail and Games on Saturday, April 7, at Badbury Hill, a National Trust property, near Faringdon. Further information is available on (01494) 528051.

Greys Court, Henley-on-Thames is also holding an Easter Egg Hunt from Tuesday, April 3, to Thursday, April 5, in the gardens of this fascinating Tudor manor house. Phone (01491) 628529 for further information.