Strawberry and elderflower Eton mess

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Begin by marinating the strawberries. Quarter the strawberries (or slice into 6 or 8 if they are large) and place in a bowl with the elderflower cordial, chopped mint leaves and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Mix and leave to marinate for 30 minutes

2. Step 2

   In the meantime, make the sauce by blending 150g strawberries with the elderflower cordial and a squeeze of lemon juice until smooth. Taste to check the balance - the acidic lemon juice should balance out the sweet cordial

3. Step 3

   Whip the double cream to soft peaks and store in the fridge until needed

4. Step 4

   Once the strawberries have marinated enough, drain the liquid into the strawberry sauce

5. Step 5

   Crush 3 meringue nests into the soft cream, leaving quite a few large pieces for texture. Add in 3 quarters of the marinated strawberries, then stir in the sauce, stirring only once or twice, to get a nice ripple effect

6. Step 6

   Divide between 4 glasses and top with the remaining strawberries and a further drizzle of sauce. Crumble over the remaining meringue and finish with mint leaves