Eton mess

Photo: Paul Bushnell

This could not be simpler - a no-cook, quick assembly job which is perfect for something easy and effective for a dinner party. It's rich, but surprisingly light (given the amount of sugar and cream in it). I saw TV's Two Fat Ladies create a version of this with fresh raspberries (which would be great, but frozen is much less expensive and still pretty good).

Serves  4 - 6 (depending on size of glasses)

Ingredients

600ml bottle cream
Two boxes of meringues
2 cups frozen raspberries 
(These are rough proportions - use about equal volume of whipped cream and meringue, but with a lesser quantity of raspberries.)

Method

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Break up meringues with hands and mix into cream. Add raspberries, keeping a few in reserve for garnish. Mix together lightly but well. Spoon out into large red wine glasses. Dot a few raspberries on top of each glass as garnish. Chill for a while in fridge - 1 hour minimum, can be up to 12 hours. Bask in the admiration of your diners as it's likely that even those who demur initially will end up scraping the glass clean with their spoon.

Paul Bushnell is RNZ's Auckland Manager.