I haven’t had meringue in ages. So I had to make some, along with some strawberries left over from my salad. I’d also been given as a recent brithday gift some of Willie Harcourt-Cooze’s 100% cacao Venezuelan Black chocolate; a fruity and nutty delight that is so wonderfully bitter. So after making meringues I dipped the bases in melted chocolate and left them upturned in the fridge to harden. When it came time to serve I knocked up some caramel sauce and drizzled over, finishing with some strawberry slices. In truth some cream would’ve worked wonders here, but I was knackered and just wanted to eat!

Strawberry and caramel meringue:

For the meringue:

3 egg whites

100g golden caster sugar

For the caramel:

100g golden caster sugar

250ml single cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

15g butter

• To serve:

100g melted dark chocolate

6 strawberries, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 160C.

Whisk the egg whites in an absurdly clean bowl until stiff. Add the sugar gradually and keep whisking until firm and glossy.

Spoon into discs on a lined baking tray. Bake in the oven for about an hour until crisp and slightly cracked.

When cool dip the base into melted chcolate and leav upturned in the fridge to set.

For the caramel melt all the ingredients on a low heat until bubbling and golden. You may want to add a blob of golden syrup if it’s either not sweet or dark enough.

Drizzle the sauce over the meringues and top with sliced strawberry.