A mess and a boodle

We were having a lovely dinner with our Dutch friends and were stuck for a dessert… an inspiration! An Eton mess! Nothing could be simpler, nor more English than whipped cream, strawberries and meringue! To add an extra Englishness, we steeped the strawberries in Pimms before folding them into the cream and broken meringues… utterly delicious and it impressed our friends with its simplicity too – I think it is going to be on their menu for Christmas!

While we were talking about it, I mentioned another easy dessert, and also typically English, orange and lemon boodle; I think it may have been named after (and possibly served at) the gentleman’s club, Boodle’s founded in 1762 in London. My Aunty’s famous recipe was trifle sponges or boudoir biscuits or just any sponge, soaked in the juice of fresh oranges and lemons, the zest of which is grated into cream which is whipped with a little sugar and the soaked sponge folded in.

I have no pictures of oranges or lemons, so I offer a citrus coloured dahlia!