Brut Sparkling wine or semi-sweet Rosé Cap Classique. Berries go well with bubbly and the meringue will cause it to fizz in the mouth.

• Pavlova nest (or 4 mini ones)
• vanilla ice cream (homemade if possible)
• fresh berries, an assortment
• fresh mint
• roasted hazelnuts
• top with spun sugar

Buy a pavlova nest from Melissa’s (they make superb ones). Fill with vanilla ice cream and top with the berries, mint and hazelnuts. If you are feeling creative, top with spun sugar—it’s great fun, but messy. (For the less adventurous dust the fruit with icing sugar.)

Spun sugar:

• vegetable oil, for greasing
• 200g castor sugar
• 200ml water

It is very important when attempting to make spun sugar to remember that the sugar becomes extremely hot and as such can inflict a nasty burn.
Dissolve the castor sugar into the water over a low heat then bring to the boil and cook until the mixture has become golden in colour and syrupy in texture. Dip the base of your pot briefly in cold water to stop the cooking process. Dip a fork in the caramel mixture and shake the trickling mixture over the greased rolling pin and baking paper. Keep this up until you have enough spun sugar, it will resemble an untidy birds nest.

Recipes by Diane Heierli
Photography by C&D Heierli