Brunch is my favourite meal. I’m not a morning person, so even if I love breakfast in theory, I rarely love it in practice. I like the free form of brunch, how you have many small dishes rather than a couple of big ones that you usually have for lunch and dinner. And because you don’t have brunch every day, it feels more special, indulgent.

I was thinking about this yesterday, when preparing Easter brunch for my family. The thing with brunch is that although it should feel effortless, it can be a bit fiddly to cook. It’s also one of those occasions where – for me – looks matter. I don’t mind if my maple syrup marinated lamb with pearl barley and mushrooms that I made for dinner looks all brown and inelegant. But a brunch should be nice to look at.

As I’m fond of analysing things and looking for patterns and structures, I’m going to highlight some elements that I think make for an easy but successful brunch. Before I get to that, though, here is the main thing: we have all learned that making things ahead is hugely helpful. You know what’s even more helpful, though? Not making things at all. I often cook everything from scratch, but when we talk about an easy brunch, my main tip is to pick your battles and get some stuff ready-to-eat. There is no shame in that.

1. Protein. I have come a long way from my hard-core carnivore days, but I’m a big believer in savory breakfast and starting the day with some protein. Same goes for brunch. This time, I bought some really nice pork sausages (some with caramelised onion, some with apple and bramble) that just needed 30 minutes in the oven. If you don’t do meat, baked eggs are a nice and pretty painless option. Or you can buy a hot smoked salmon fillet that requires no effort on your part, but tastes amazing.

2. Something fancy. When preparing a lazy brunch, it’s nice to have something that elevates the whole thing, adds a little luxury. I went with white asparagus and salmon roe, but it could be oysters, foie gras, rare mushrooms, proper caviar if you can afford it – anything that feels decadent for you.

3. Colourful vegetables. This category has really become the key for me in recent years. Pretty vegetables in different shades will not only taste great, but make your table look more appealing and the meal healthier. This time, I made my beetroot dip, smashed avocado and tenderstem broccoli with garlic – all very easy and the first two can be made ahead. Roasted red peppers are another good option and small colourful tomatoes don’t need any prep at all.

4. Pretty water. Flavoured water is one of the easiest things in the world to make, but it looks good on the table and tastes much better than plain water. You just need a transparent carafe, water and any berries, fruits and/or herbs you can find. It’s become a little bit of a cliche by now, but I don’t care, it works. I like for example watermelon-cucumber-mint and blood orange-tarragon combinations, but you can be as creative or as conservative as you like.

5. Simple cocktails. I love special cocktails, but for the purposes of a lazy brunch, I’d take the easy way out. Almost everyone loves a mimosa and there are so many nice juices on the market these days that you can easily make beautiful variations on the theme with no effort at all. I bought fresh pressed juices in different colours and just mixed them with champagne for the quickest cocktails on earth.

6. High impact dessert. This is where I strayed from the path yesterday: I made my first ever cardamom buns and it took me several hours the night before. But generally speaking, I’d definitely consider buying rather than making in this category: I think spring brunch is the perfect time to serve macaroons – my favourites are Pierre Herme in Paris, Marcolini in Brussels and Angeelika Kang in Tallinn. Eaton mess is another favourite, in case you don’t fancy a shop-bought solution: I like making it with passion fruit. A beautiful fruit plate is of course always an option, too.

7. Flowers. The absolutely easiest way to make the table look good. Even a couple of blooms or some green leaves will make a difference.

What are your favourite easy brunch dishes?