Meringue

Crumbly meringue, buttery apples, sticky caramel and boozy cream. What’s not to love?

The Nordic summer is filled with fresh berries, including tart gooseberries, which are fantastic in a tangy compote for a sweet dessert like this one

The beauty of a pavlova is that you can make the meringue days ahead of a party

Celebrate the best of the season’s berries with this fruity sharing board. Add any sweet treats you like; mini tart cases or mini pastries would both make welcome additions

A pile of these delicate little kisses will add instant sparkle to a party spread, and they would also make lovely edible gifts packaged in bags. Switch up the base coatings with your favourite choc and nut combination

This is a great prep-ahead pud when you want something glamorous for dessert but don’t want to be fussing around with food mixers while you’re roasting the turkey. Make the pavlova and spiced plums the day before and then all you have to do on the day is whip up some cream

If you find Christmas pudding too heavy after a traditional roast, this clementine meringue pie is the perfect solution for the big day. Buttery shortcrust pastry is filled with a zingy citrus curd and then topped with pillows of soft meringue for the lightest of desserts

Italian meringue (where the egg whites are ‘cooked’ by whisking with a hot sugar syrup) creates the perfect snow-covered bark effect in this twist-on-a-classic yule log. Underneath the soft peaks you’ll find a subtly spiced sponge filled with boozy chestnut purée and white chocolate cream