Strawberry Pavlova

First, make the meringue base: heat the oven to 150⁰C (Gas Mark 2), then take a large baking tray and line it with baking paper. Carefully separate the eggs, adding the whites to a large mixing bowl and refrigerating the yolks for future use (they’re great in home-made mayonnaise, custards and pastry, or for egg-washing pies, scones and other bakes). Use an electric whisk to whisk the egg whites until you can see them forming stiff peaks, then add the sugar a tbsp at a time, whisking as you go, until all the sugar is incorporated and the meringue mix is glossy. Next, add the vinegar, cornflour and vanilla and whisk again to combine.

Use a spatula to dollop the meringue into the middle of the lined baking sheet, then spread it out gently to give a roughly circular shape – it doesn’t have to be perfect! Make the outside edges of the circle slightly higher than the middle, by pushing the mix outwards from the centre (you just need enough of a ‘dip’ to hold the topping, it doesn’t need to be too deep). Put the meringue into the oven and bake for one hour, then turn off the oven and leave the meringue inside it to cool completely.

When the meringue is cool, make the topping. Hull the strawberries and slice them evenly, then pour the double cream into a mixing bowl, add the vanilla and sieve in one of the tablespoons of icing sugar. Whip the cream to a thick, spreadable consistency (an electric whisk is easiest).
To assemble the pavlova, take the cooled meringue base carefully off its baking parchment and sit it on a serving dish. Spread the cream over the meringue, not quite up to the edges, then arrange the sliced strawberries on top. Finally, use the remaining icing sugar to give the top of the pavlova a light dusting, then serve.