Pastel meringues

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 110ºC (90ºC fan) mark ¼. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

2 Whisk egg whites until stiff. Gradually whisk in sugar, 1tbsp at a time, until stiff and glossy. Scoop half the meringue mix into a clean bowl and whisk in the vanilla extract.

3 Drop teaspoonfuls of the vanilla meringue on to one of the baking sheets, spaced well apart. Alternatively - if you have a piping bag - pipe the meringue in individual swirls the size of a golf ball.

4 Whisk rose water into remaining meringue. Little by little, whisking between additions, add tiny drops of colouring until meringue turns the palest pink. Spoon or pipe on to the other baking sheet as above.

5 Bake for 1-1½hr until meringues are dry and pull away from the paper easily. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6 Whip cream and icing sugar until mixture forms soft peaks. Sandwich together two meringues with cream. Continue with the remainder. Serve any leftover cream with the meringues and the strawberry salad, decorated with a few rose petals.