Now as simple puddings go this one doesn’t get much easier. Eton Mess, created in the hallowed educational halls of Eton College, has been a crowd pleaser for well over 100 years.  The traditional version is simply Strawberries, Meringue and Whipped Cream. I changed mine a bit and used raspberries as well as the traditional strawberries. I also marinated them in port with a little sugar over night to make the end result even more indulgent. This one is fairly simple but just takes a little bit of time to sort everything out (well if you’re making it from scratch that is).

• For the Meringues
  • 4 large egg whites
  • Around 100g caster sugar
  • For the Fruit
    • 1 punnet of raspberries
    • 1 punnet  strawberries sliced
    • 150ml port
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 1 carton of cream whipped into firm peaks

So start off by making the meringues.  Now everyone has their own way with meringues, personally I throw the eggs and the sugar in together and get whisking until they form stiff peaks.  If you’re brave enough you can hold the bowl over your head to test whether they are ready.  Once the mixture is ready to go, spoon it on to a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking sheet. It doesn’t matter how it looks because you’re going to crush the meringues anyway.  On a very low heat bake the meringues for around an hour and a half.

Whilst the meringues are in the oven you can set about preparing the rest of the Eton Mess.  Slice up your strawberries and place in a bowl along with the raspberries, sprinkle with sugar and pour over the port. Leave the fruit to marinate for about 4 hours or overnight if possible.

When you’re ready to go, crush the meringues, drain the fruit (reserving a little of the juice for garnishing) and whip up the cream. Once the cream has thickened gently fold in the fruit and meringues and serve in large wine glasses.

PG