So I've come up with this hair brain idea to host a World Figolli Day this year and was wondering if you'd be interested in participating? Nothing too strenuous is involved, just some flour, eggs, sugar and almonds and hopefully a whole lot of fun!

The idea behind World Figolli Day is that you turn off the television and get off the couch and head into the kitchen with your kids, nieces and nephews and have a bonding session with some dough and royal icing and hopefully pass on a few Maltese culinary traditions whilst your at it.

Besides, I'm sure your mama's and nanna's will be greatly amused at your attempts to make figolli this Easter, and they'll also be relieved that you've finally stopped harassing them to make them for you or worse still, refrained from buying a commercially made one.

Once you've completed your creations remember to take a photo of them and then upload your images to the World Figolli Day flickr group. Hence, there's no rush people as we usually make our figolli on Good Friday and if your stumped for a recipe feel free to use mine.


Then, come Easter Monday I'll get Shane Delia and Ramona and Roberta Preca to help me judge the best Maltese and best Australian based figolla. Hence, the winner from Malta will receive a free dinner for two people at Tal Familja, the Preca's stunning restaurant in Marsascala, and the Australian winner will receive a free dinner for two at Maha, Shane's Melbourne based restaurant.

Please note, that the prize does not include airfares, hotel accommodation, taxi and/or ferry fair or child-minding fees! Hence, participants from other continents are most welcome to enter the competition and if you so happen to win, we'll work out a way of getting a suitable prize to you!

The Preca sisters have also come up with their own competition to coincide with World Figolli Day. They're encouraging locals to donate their best and most decorated figolli to help raise money for Dar Tal-Providenza. Interested participants are to take their figolli to Tal-Familja Restaurant during the week of the 3rd -10th of April. Your homemade works of art will be carefully photographed and then later judged. Roberta and Ramona have assured me that there are lots of wonderful prizes on offer, so it really is a win-win situation.

The figolli will then be given to Dar Tal-Providenza to sell and all the proceeds from the sale of the figolli will be used by the organization to continue to help people with disabilities. Hence, you can contact Tal-Familja Restaurant directly by phone on 21632161 or email them at [email protected] for more information about drop off times and location.

So what do you think, do you want to help me bring figolli back in vogue and help a worthy cause at the same time?