Strawberry Marshmallow Mousse Recipe

This is the easiest mousse recipe ever and is perfect to make with little hands. Make sure you get vanilla or plain flavoured marshmallows (i.e. not ones that are shaped) as they are usually flavoured and will make the mousse taste all kinds of weird. The mini ones are easier to melt too! Be careful if baking with littlies when using the pan, as the hot marshmallows can get super hot.

Serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

250g strawberries

25g caster sugar

150g mini marshmallows

200ml double cream

Method:

1.   Put all but a few berries in a pan with the sugar and 100ml water and over a medium heat, cook until just soft enough to mash.

2.   Take off the heat and squash until pulpy.

3.   Add the marshmallows and stir until melted. Leave to cool.

4.   Whip the cream until it just holds its shape and fold together with the strawberry mix.

5.   Pile into glasses and chill for 2 hours.

6.   Top with slices of the reserved strawberries and serve!

Summer Pudding Recipe

When I think of summer, I think of berries and this little number is always a winner at the end of a BBQ (which inevitably is actually an inside grill situation due to the rain…). On showing this recipe to an American friend, their shock was something I wish I’d documented at the time. Indeed this is a very British pudding, unlike the chocolate cream like puddings he was used to back home. But what a pud! He’s now a convert, I’m pleased to say. The bowl I used here is one of Anthropologie’s ‘Latte Bowls’ (why they’re called that, I will never know) and they fit these proportions perfectly. Of course, use a larger pudding basin if you’d prefer or indeed, any small dessert bowl in your cupboard would do the job. Please do chill overnight or the bread won’t have time to firm up – believe me, it’s worth the wait.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500g mixed berries

zest and juice of ½ an orange

3 tbsp sugar

7/8 large slices white bread

clotted cream – to serve

Recipe:

1.   Line a deep bowl with two layers of cling film.

2.   Heat the fruit with the sugar, orange zest and juice in a pan for 3 minutes until the berries have released they’re gorgeous red juice.

3.   Strain them through a sieve and put aside.

4.   Cut bread into rectangles (leave crusts on) and one small square. One at a time dip into berry juice and line the pudding basin.

5.   Fill with the drained berries and top with one large dipped slice of bread.

6.   Pull cling film round and leave in fridge for 6 hours with a heavy book on top.

7.   Turn out on to a serving plate and dollop cream on each slice. 

Pimms Trifle Recipe

The British summertime: Wimbledon, strawberries and rain. All three an absolute guarantee. This trifle sees one of those things perfectly blended with another’s favourite tipple- Pimms. A drink that is rarely seen post August and certainly isn’t brought out until some inexplicably hot day in May… by which point every pub in the vicinity starts charging £25 for a watery bit of mint and flat lemonade. This on the other hand has spiked cream and the best Pimms syrup ever! I’d make double and keep it stored in the fridge, it’s delicious drizzled over ice cream. If you want to add jelly too then be my guest! Just pour it over the sponge finger layer and leave for at least 4 hours in the fridge to set. 

Serves 10

Ingredients:

200ml Pimms, plus a dash

juice and zest of 2 lemon and 2 oranges

75g icing sugar

bunch of mint

¼ cucumber, sliced

200g trifle sponge fingers

1 large punnet of strawberries (about 700g)

100g strawberry jam

1 large pot double cream (600ml)

600ml vanilla custard

Recipe:

1.   Mix together the Pimms, 75g icing sugar, citrus juices, half of the mint and cucumber in a bowl. Blast in microwave for 30 secs at a time until the sugar’s melted. Leave to infuse for as long as you can and then strain.

2.   Stick two trifle sponges together with strawberry jam. Dip into the juices and arrange round the sides and bottom of a trifle dish. Pour over the rest of the syrup and leave it to soak.

3.  Slice some of the strawberries in half lengthways and place cut side out around the dish in a circle above the lady’s fingers. Chop the others up however you like and pop on top of them. Pour the custard over the berry layer.

4.  Whip up the double cream and dash of Pimms until soft peaks form. Pick off small mint leaves and pop them on top for garnish. Chill in the fridge for 3 hours before serving.