This recipe is an adapted version of Delia Smith‘s – I use it to use up the leftover egg whites after making custard or a strawberry roll. It takes about 10 minutes, plus one hour of baking and some cooling down time. It’s also fun to get kids involved by piping the meringues and making fun shapes. 

• 4 egg whites
• 200 g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 140C. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until they form soft peaks; add the sugar, one or two spoonfuls at a time, whisking briskly.

Use two spoons or a small freezer bag with a corner cut off – or a proper piping bag – and place small heaps of the stuff on your baking tray. If your are piping them, form a circle the size you would like the finished product to be, and then fill the inside up until they reach the required height. Don’t worry if they are not perfect: they’ll look great in an Eton Mess…

That’s really the ‘before’ picture…

Put the tray in the middle of the oven and bake for 1 hour. Switch off the oven, ignoring the fact that they are still quite stiff, and let them dry until they are fully dry, or overnight.

You can store the dry meringues in a lidded box until you need them. Alternatively, you can mix them with whipped cream and strawberries, plus a few strawberries pureed to a sauce, for a rather pretty and gorgeous Eton Mess!

… however dodgy the original meringues, after the ‘Eton Mess’ treatment they are looking perfect