RECIPE

Eton Mess

(Yields six good portions)

Ingredients for Eton Mess

400g punnet of British strawberries

4 meringue nests

1pt double cream

1tbs soft demerara or caster sugar

Method

1. Wash, de-stalk and halve your strawberries.

2. Take about one third of the fruit and place it into a blender with the sugar. Whizz until you have a purée. Set aside for use later.

3. Whip the cream until it's just beginning to stiffen: if you pick up a dollop on a spoon, it should retain its shape.

4. Place the whipped cream into a large bowl and stir in the remaining strawberry halves.

5. Gently crush the meringue nests into small chunks. You can place them in a large freezer bag and gently crush them with a rolling pin or wooden spoon to prevent dusting.

6. Stir into the cream and strawberries.

7. Take the strawberry purée and fold through the mixture into your best trifle dish or sundae glasses to serve.

8. Top off with a swirl of purée and a cluster of delicious ripe strawberries.

Recipe for simple meringue

Ingredients

3 egg whites

Half a teaspoon of lemon juice

150g caster sugar

Method

1. Whisk the egg whites and lemon juice in a clean bowl until they double in volume.

2. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, incorporating completely before adding the next.

3. Whisk till all the sugar has been added and the whites are glossy.

4. Pipe or spoon onto a parchment-lined baking tray, using a pencil guide if needed for the discs.

5. Bake for two hours at 90C/gas 1/4 until they are crisp, and lift off the paper easily. It is it best to use meringues the day after making them.

Baker Mike's Top Tips

* This is a super, fun and easy recipe for the kids to make.

* If you don't own a blender, simply squash and pulp the strawberries through a sieve.

* Creme fraiche or natural yoghurt is a great healthy alternative to cream.

* Save a few nice large strawberries for decoration.

* Always wash your strawberries and fruits first, drying them with paper kitchen towel.

* Remember to turn your discs over on the baking tray.