Meringue Bark

I'm not usually a lover of pastel baking. Pale pinks and yellows can quite easily teeter over into Cath Kidston and bunting territory and, while there's certainly a time and a place for both of those things, I try where possible to keep away from the twee when it comes to baking. What can I say - I prefer the Paris patisserie look to the village fete version, which is why I'm usually reticent to go too pastel in my approach. 

But as Easter approaches - intrinsically light, fresh and hopeful - I'm more prepared to let a glimmer of pastel into my kitchen. A touch of colour in meringue is somehow so much chicer than in a cake; with its cloud-like texture, there's something of the ethereal here which I can definitely get on board with. 

You guys shared so much kind feedback about my homemade Christmas gift guide series, which got me thinking about what you might like to make for loved ones come the four-day weekend. Meringue  calls for just two base ingredients and, once you've mastered the basic recipe, where you take things from there with decoration and colour is entirely down to you. For me, part of the joy of these shards is their irregularity, so don't get too het up on the slicing - pack them up in cellophane, or use to top your Easter pavlova. 

THE INGREDIENTS

2 egg whites

100g caster sugar

Gel food colouring

Edible decorations - try dried flowers, rainbow sprinkles or chopped candied peel

THE RECIPE

Heat your oven to 120°C, and line three large trays with baking paper. In a squeaky clean bowl (you can lightly rub it with a slice of lemon first to ensure it is dust free), whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. With the beater still running, add the caster sugar one spoonful at a time, whisking for ten seconds or so after each addition. This is to ensure the sugar is completely absorbed (which will prevent the meringue from weeping when it bakes).

Divide the meringue into three bowls, and add a dab of gel colouring to each. Mix to fully distribute the colouring. Spoon each batch of meringue onto separate baking sheets, and use a palette knife or offset spatula to spread the mixture thinly and evenly over the tray - you want the meringue to be about 1/2 a cm thick. Sprinkle with your chosen toppings. 

Place in the oven to bake for 25-40 minutes, until the centre feels only very slightly soft to the touch. Remove from the oven and lift the paper carefully onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Break into shards and serve.  

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Rhubarb and hazelnut mini pavlovas

January in London is a funny thing. It's cold, yes - but no longer endearingly so, as it was before Christmas. Any dustings of snow are now singularly annoying, rather than festive and exciting. People are struggling along with Dry January (I'm all for heath, but forgive me for saying there is no month where I need a glass of wine in the evening more so than January), and this year, Veganuary - as someone who works in Restaurant PR, I can safely say if I never hear that word again, it will be too soon.

If I sound a little scornful, forgive me. Four years of writing a baking blog has certainly put me off this time of restraint and abstinence. Is it just me who finds this circus of resolution a little gloomy? In the throws of winter and without the holidays to look forward to, I'd prefer it if we were all a little less tough on ourselves at this time of year.

And with that, I bring you a recipe which uses sugar, dairy and majestic forced rhubarb, which is just starting to come to market ahead of its February season. Rhubarb's brightness and light is a welcome and comforting sight to this sun-lover, and the sweetness of meringue the perfect end to January resolutions.

I've written before about my struggle with winter - I come from a family of sun-lovers, and we all feel genuinely happier from May-September (it's a thing!). That being said, I find that with age the return of winter brings with it an underlying comfort and reassurance. The cosiness of nestling in for a weekend in the kitchen becomes increasingly enticing - especially on rainy days such as this. It's funny how things shift as the years go by.

What are you all baking this weekend? I'd love to hear what's going on in your kitchens. This recipe makes 4 or 5 mini pavlovas, but is easily doubled.

THE INGREDIENTS

Rhubarb

300g forced rhubarb

50g caster sugar

1 orange

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Meringues

150g caster sugar

100g egg whites (2 large/3medium eggs)

150g double cream

1 tsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

50g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

THE RECIPE

Heat the oven to 160°C / 140°C fan. Line an ovenproof dish with foil. Slice the rhubarb into 4-5cm batons, trimming off the ends. Arrange in the lined dish, then sprinkle with the caster sugar, the vanilla and the juice and zest of the orange. Cover with a second sheet of foil, and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the rhubarb is soft. Don't overcook it, or it will fall apart and loose its shape.


Lower the oven to 100°C / 80°C fan. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Whisk the eggs whites to stiff peaks in a stand mixer or with an electric whisk. Add the caster sugar, one tbsp at a time, whisking after each addition before adding any more sugar. The sugar should be completely dissolved, and a little meringue rubbed between your fingers should not feel grainy.

Spoon the meringue into mini pavlovas on the baking tray. Try not to squash it, as the height is what will make them so pretty. Place on the bottom shelf of the oven. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes - 2 hours. The meringue is done when it can be lifted off the baking paper at the edges. Turn the oven off, leaving the meringue inside to cool completely. This will allow the meringue to cool down gradually, and for the centre to become soft and mallowy.

When you are ready to assemble the pavlovas, place the cream in a large bowl. Add the icing sugar and vanilla, and whip until the cream is thick and pillowy. Spoon the cream over the pavlova, then top with the roasted rhubarb. Top with the toasted hazelnuts.

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Rhubarb and rose pavlova

**2026 edit: I now share new recipes and essays on juggling baking, life and motherhood over on Substack. If you loved this recipe, I think you’ll love Sweet Disposition - sign up HERE.** 

My Mum always says that a hot April makes for a wet summer. If she's right, then we are in for an absolute downpour. Over the past few days, London's parks have been chocca with dizzy, vitamin D-deprived city dwellers getting their fix after so many months of cold, grey weather. Spring is in full swing, and I could not be happier.

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BROWN SUGAR MERINGUE WITH CLEMENTINE CURD

Contrary to what the title and subject of this blog might suggest, I was not always the pudding lover that I am today. I'm loath to admit that as a child I found custard, meringue, jelly and cream too sweet, too sickly, too - well - sugary. In the interest of full disclosure, I wasn't very good with savoury food either. My Mum takes great delight in telling people that for a year I ate nothing but weetabix and marmite sandwiches, but that's another story for another time.

My distaste was not helped by Mum's penchant for making pavlova and trifle - two puddings rife with the aforementioned meringue, jelly and custard - at the same time. Her logic, of course, was that the yolks left over from the meringue could be made into custard for the trifle. That, and the fact that pavlova and trifle are so freaking delicious.

The resourceful ethos behind this pairing now fills me with joy, which is why I wanted to develop a recipe for meringue that puts those sunny, glossy yolks to good use too.

Brown sugar is not often found in meringue, perhaps because caster results in the snowy white peaks that we all associate with this pudding. While my brown sugar versions aren't snowy, I rather like the nutty, caramel hue that you find when you bite into the chewy soft centre. Brown sugar has such a distinct, delicious flavour, which brings something more to the sweetness of a classic meringue.

Clementines are glorious at this time of year, but you could use any other citrus or berry curd to fill your meringues.

THE INGREDIENTS

meringue

2 egg whites

50g caster sugar

50g soft light brown sugar

clementine curd

2 clementines, juiced and zested

1 lemon, juiced and zested

2 egg yolks

50g caster sugar

20g butter

For the meringue, preheat the oven to 150C, and line a baking tray with parchment. Before you begin, wipe your mixing bowl with a piece of lemon, to ensure that it is squeaky clean. Add the egg whites, then whisk with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Separately, mix the two sugars together, then add a teaspoon at a time to the egg whites, with the mixer still whisking. The mixture is ready when you can pinch it between your fingers and not feel an graininess. 

Spoon into four peaks on the baking tray, shape into circles, then bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours. The meringues are ready when you can lift them off the baking tray without sticking. 

For the curd, place the zest, juices, egg yolks and sugar together in a large, heavy based pan. Set over a medium heat, and stir constantly as the sugar dissolves. Continue stirring for 10-15 minutes, until the mixture thickens. It is ready when a layer coats the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and mix in the butter, then strain through a sieve and transfer to a bowl to cool. 

Serve the meringues with a dollop of fresh curd on top, and store any that is left in sterilised jars. 

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RASPBERRY ALMOND MACARONS

This weekend marks Mothering Sunday, and it has certainly come at a fitting time for this writer.

I have spent the past week back at home with my parents, in a state that can only be compared to a newborn infant. My poor mum has put up with tears, sleep disturbance, the silent treatment (in my defence, I haven't been able to talk) and a whole lot of self-pity. She's also got me into a well planned routine of pain meds, naps and puréed meals. I may have a job, rent contract and be 23 years of age, but boy do I still need my Mum.

As I get older, I have more and more respect for the mothers in my life. Aside from my own brilliant Mum, I'm lucky enough to have family, friends and colleagues who totally boss it when it comes to balancing their kids with all the other commitments in their lives. It can't be a walk in the park, but they keep the plates spinning all year round. Mothering Sunday is such an important chance to show them how brilliant they are.

My parents dislike having money spent on them, which is just as well as none of us have much of that to spare. Macarons are both beautifully special and economically friendly, and the pretty pink fresh raspberry filling will totally blow supermarket finest roses out of the park.

As this week has certainly proved, being a mum doesn't stop when your children grow up. My Mum is there for us at the drop of a hat, and certainly worries about us just as much as she ever did, even from afar. Thanks for being so great, Mum - we still need you very much.

 THE INGREDIENTS

175g icing sugar

125g ground almonds

75g caster sugar

3 large egg whites

1 tsp almond essence

pinch of salt

80g butter
250g icing sugar
raspberries

THE RECIPE

Now is the time for precision. Preheat your oven to 130C. Line 4 baking trays with baking parchment, and mark 3cm circles on the other side of the paper (this feels tedious but you'll thank me later). Weigh out the almonds and the icing sugar exactly, then pass through a sieve to ensure the mixture is an even consistency. 

Clean a separate mixing bowl using half a lemon (this is to ensure any specs of dirt are removed). Add the egg whites and the salt to the cleaned bowl, then whisk into soft peaks. Once the whites are stiff enough to hold their shape, add the caster sugar 1 tsp at a time, whisking in between each spoonful to ensure the sugar is dissolved. Towards the end, add a few drops of almond essence. 

Add in the icing sugar and almond mixture. Using a plastic spatula, fold the two mixes together. Do this gently - you want to remove some of the air but not all of it, so it's better to mix slowly. The mixture is ready when it is shiny, combined and falls off the spatula into a ribbon consistency. 

Spoon the mixture into a plastic piping bag. Snip off the end, then pipe the mixture onto the prepared trays, using the circles you drew to ensure that each shell is the same size. Once the shells are piped, you need to leave them to rest, so that they can form a skin which will protect them from cracking when they rise in the oven. I leave mine for an hour to be safe, but they're ready once you can touch them lightly and not leave a mark. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. The shells are ready when you can peel them off the paper. Remove from the oven and transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

To make the filling, whisk the butter to soften then slowly add the icing sugar. Once the two are combined into a sandy texture, then add a raspberry at a time, whisking in-between, until the mixture takes on a stiff buttercream texture. This will be between 5-10 berries. 

Cut the remaining raspberries in half. To sandwich, spread a layer of butter cream on a macaron, then place half a raspberry in the centre and top with a second macaron. Wrap beautifully to give as a present.

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MERINGUE MORSELS

Sometimes the simple things are the very best of things. Gourmet cuisine and Michelin stars are a treat of course, but I often find myself wishing for nothing more than beans on toast, Heinz tomato soup or eggs and peas when times are tough. If you've never tried the later incidentally, you haven't lived - and that's not just nostalgia for my student days talking.

Meringue is deliciously simple and, while I was never convinced by the stuff as a child, I've been well and truly won over since I braved making my own. Now full disclosure - I do find it very satisfying that these little beauties deliver all of the sugar kick with none of the butter. I know my logic here is a little warped, but it's true that meringue is a slightly-less sinful option for the waist-watching pudding lovers among us. You may not be able to have your cake and eat it, but meringues do offer a tasty compromise.

Piping them into little coloured kisses, and they'll look just as delicious as they taste. Packaged up in some pretty paper, these would make a lovely homemade Christmas present if, like this writer, you're already feeling the festive pinch.

 THE INGREDIENTS

one part egg whites, two parts sugar

2 egg whites (approximately 75g)

150g vanilla caster sugar

food colouring

THE RECIPE

Begin by preheating your oven to 90C, and lining two baking trays with parchment. Next, sterilise your mixing bowl by gently wiping it with half a lemon - this is to ensure it's entirely clean, which will make for the fluffiest meringues. 

Separate your egg whites from the yolks, then add the whites to your bowl. Whisk on a medium speed for a minute or two, then crank up your mixer and whisk on full speed for 5-7 minutes. The whites are ready when they are stiff, and the bowl can be turned upside down without the whites falling out. 

With the mixer going on a medium speed, add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Allow to mix for 30 seconds between each spoonful, so as to ensure the sugar dissolves fully (this will stop your meringues from cracking in the oven).

Once all the sugar has been incorporated, whisk for a further 3-4 minutes. Next, take a plastic piping bag fitted with a round nozzle, and paint a stripe of food colouring on the inside. Spoon in your meringue, then pipe the morsels into small, tall shapes. 

Bake in your pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes - the meringues are done when you can lift them from the paper without any sticking or resistance. Don't be tempted to crank up the heat - baking at a low temperature ensures that the meringues remain white and glossy throughout baking. 

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