A good friend of mine, William Leigh, created this fantastic take on the classic English dessert of Eton Mess. Cream, meringue and fruit mixed together into one big ‘mess'; what is there to not like about it?

Simple and delicious, it is a great way to treat our seasonal rhubarb. Make sure you go and read William's inspiring writing and recipes over at Hello and his entertaining Blog.

Rhubarb Eton Mess

Feeds 2

For the meringues
2 egg whites
60g muscovado sugar
60g caster sugar

For the rhubarb
150g rhubarb
1 tsp sugar
30ml water

100ml double cream

1 - To make meringues, first preheat oven to 100ºC. Whisk egg whites in an electric mixture until they form soft peaks. Keep whisking while adding the sugars a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is glossy. Using a dessert spoon drop large spoonfuls of meringue on a greaseproof sheet. This quantity will make about 8-10 meringues. Bake for two hours, then allow to cool.
2 - Cut rhubarb into inch-long pieces and poach gently with sugar and water in a saucepan for around ten minutes, turning occasionally, until soft but not collapsed. Set aside to cool.
3 - Whip cream until it forms stiff peaks.
4 - To serve, crumble two meringues per person into a large bowl, fold in the cream and spoon over the rhubarb pieces (save the liquid and use in cocktails or pour over yoghurt). Serve with two spoons.