Julia Busuttil Nishimura's Eton Mess

Summer has arrived and it’s time to eat all the berries and stone fruit! One of my favourite ways to use summer fruits is in this simple and utterly pretty dessert. With Christmas around the corner too, this Eton Mess is absolutely perfect.

Said to have originated Eton College in England in the late 1800s, an Eton Mess, in its simplest form, consists of strawberries, whipped cream and meringues. I do love it with strawberries, but here I’ve swapped them out for peaches and raspberries, one of my most loved fruit combinations. Feel free to experiment with different stone fruit – nectarines and apricots would be lovely. Some crème fraîche, or even a little plain yoghurt folded into the whipped cream is a nice twist on the original too.

Besides it being super delicious, it can also be prepared well in advance which is especially handy if you are having friends around and don’t want to spend all your time in the kitchen. Just whip the cream and fold through the peach just before serving. If you don’t want to make the meringues for yourself, store-bought ones are a great short cut. With that being said, homemade meringues are decidedly chewier and just that much nicer. They’re not at all difficult to make, it will just require a little forethought as it will need time to cool completely before using. I’ve served this Eton Mess in individual bowls, but in a large serving bowl would be lovely too.