At last we are experiencing warmer climes and with Wimbledon around the corner, fresh British strawberries are a must. When I think of seasonal produce, strawberries always spring to mind, in my opinion nothing can beat the first taste of a British strawberry there is no comparison to the ones that are available all year round.

Strawberries are a "false" fruit, as the seeds are on the outside and they are a member of the rose family (along with raspberries).

As the name suggests, the pavlova is named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It has been described as Australia's national dish, but it is also claimed by New Zealand, as the famous ballerina visited both countries in 1926. The built-up sides of the pavlova are said to represent a tutu. The addition of cornflour and vinegar give the meringue cakes a soft, marshmallowy centre. I like to use soft brown sugar in my meringues, in addition to caster sugar, as it gives them a lovely toffee flavour. The pavlova is very sweet but is perfect when combined with soft summer fruits and cream.

Individual Strawberry Pavlovas

Ingredients (makes 6-8)

3 egg whites 100g light soft brown sugar 75g caster sugar 1 tsp cornflour 1 tsp white wine vinegar 1 tsp vanilla extract 450ml whipping cream 2 large punnets of strawberries Icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 110C. Place the egg whites in large, clean mixing bowl. Whisk (using an electric handwhisk) until stiff peaks are forming (you should be able to turn the bowl upside down!).

2 Gradually whisk in both of the sugars, the egg froth should look pearlescent now.

3 Combine the cornflour, white wine vinegar and vanilla together. Whisk this mixture into the meringue mixture.

4 Line a baking tray with baking paper. It is a good idea to stick the corners down with a blob of the meringue mixture. Now you can either pipe the mixture into "nest" shapes, using a star nozzle fitted into a piping bag, or simply spoon the mixture on to the baking paper into small mounds and make an indentation in them using the back of a spoon.

5 Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hours. The meringues should be crisp on the outside but still a little soft on the inside. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

6 Whip the cream until soft peaks form.

7 Prepare the strawberries by hulling them and then cutting them into quarters.

8 Spoon a generous amount of cream into each pavlova. Arrange the strawberry pieces on the cream.

To serve Finish with a dusting of icing sugar and serve with the remaining strawberries (and extra cream!).

Notes

  • The pavlova bases can be prepared in advance and will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Once they are filled, it is best to eat them within 4 hours or they will lose their crispness.
  • Any soft fruit is ideal to fill the pavlovas and a combination of fruits looks very pretty. Passion fruit pulp mixed in with the cream is delicious too. Chopped pistachio nuts can also be stirred through the pavlova mixture before piping/spooning.