Eton Mess

With local strawberries coming into the stores, here's an easy English recipe to make the most of them. You get the stages ready ahead, to put together at the last minute. It's named after the posh private school of Princes and sons of parents with deep wallets near Windsor Castle - so convenient when Queen Granny wanted to visit William and Harry.

On the 'Fourth of June', a holiday with The Procession of Boats - the top crews row past in vintage wooden boats (Brits find this kind of thing normal) - scholars and parents gather to celebrate the birthday of Eton's patron, King George III (the mad one - that's normal, too). Eton Mess is the pudding de rigueur. ('Pudding' is the posh English word for 'desserts' - a word that would never cross the lips of an old Etonian.)

Don't be frightened of making meringues. These are a doddle. You have to do it the day before you want them. Store in an airtight bag.

Serves 6

For the meringues

3 large egg whites
6 ounces superfine sugar, sieved
1-2 large baking trays
parchment paper

Preheat oven to 300F. 

Put the egg whites in a squeaky-clean mixing bowl and whip till they form soft peaks. Add the sugar tablespoon by tablespoon only when the previous one has been incorporated, whipping away all the while.

Line a baking tray, 11" by 16", with parchment paper, dabbing a little meringue under each corner so the paper doesn't slide about. Glop mounds of meringue (you're aiming for about a 32A cup size) in rows. Put the tray (or trays - I find I need two) on the center shelf in the oven, lower the heat to 275F and bake an hour without opening the door. Then turn the oven off, leaving the meringues inside to dry out. Let the oven get cold or leave the meringues in overnight before you open the door.

For the purée and strawberries 

1 pound strawberries, hulled
1-2 tablespoons sugar
1 pint whipping or heavy cream 

Put half the strawberries into a blender with the sugar and whiz to a purée. Strain through a fine nylon sieve to extract as many seeds as possible. Reserve.

Roughly chop the remaining strawberries into chunks. Reserve.

Whip the cream into peaks. Reserve. 

To assemble the pudding, break the meringues into rough pieces and put them in a clean mixing bowl along with the chopped strawberries. Fold in the cream to coat everything followed by all but 3/4 cup of the purée. Don't overmix - you want more of a ripple of purée not a pink cream. Spatula the Mess into a serving bowl then lightly drip the remaining purée randomly over all and serve as soon as possible. My photograph doesn't do it justice.