I adore meringues. Crunchy on the outside, with a chewy, sugary centre – they’re my idea of heaven! Therefore, pavlovas are right up my street. These ‘giant meringue cakes’ were named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova, and there’s an ongoing quarrel between Australia and New Zealand with both countries claiming they invented this divine dessert. I refuse to take sides.

There are many variations for topping pavlovas – the general rule is a whipped cream base topped with fruit (and sometimes nuts). For my second book I created an amazing apricot pistachio pavlova with a rose-water cream – I still dream of that one! But, I keep on experimenting with new flavour combinations, and this one is really simple and nice, combining pineapple with mint, which is always a true winner!