DELICIOUS COOKERY

Celebrate the season of strawberries with this luscious layer cake, a fruity gin punch and refreshing ice lollies

Serves 8

320g pack of ready-rolled puff pastry

Flour, for dusting

1tbsp caster sugar

16 strawberries

4cm chunk of cucumber

1 peach

1 orange, peeled and segmented 16 raspberries

200ml (7fl oz) double cream 2tbsp Pimm’s

2tsp icing sugar

8tsp raspberry jam

12 borage or other edible, pesticide-free flowers, optional (try maddocksfarmorganics.co.uk)

Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas 6. Remove the pastry from the fridge 10 minutes before using, then unroll on a worktop dusted with flour and cut into 8 equal rectangles. Place them on a baking tray and use a sharp knife to score a line 1cm in from the edge on all sides. Make sure you don’t cut all the way through the pastry. Brush the rims with water and sprinkle with the caster sugar.

Bake the pastry for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and push the centres down with the back of a spoon and return to the oven for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Cool on a rack.

Slice the strawberries, cucumber and peach. Place in a bowl with the orange and raspberries. When ready to serve, pour the cream into a separate bowl, add the Pimm’s and icing sugar and whisk until it forms soft peaks. Spread the centre of each pastry with 1tsp jam and top with the Pimm’s cream. Arrange the fruit on top and decorate with borage flowers, if using. Serve immediately.