Cheat s’ Easy Trifle Eton Mess

Have fun with this recipe – if I don’t have meringues, I add the !aked almond and amaretti mixture for crunch. Or I make a tropical version, with mangoes and coconut rum

SERVES 6

500g good- quality shop- bought custard

1 teaspoon cornflour (optional)

a small Madeira loaf cake (approx 450g/1lb), cut into cubes

110ml berry liqueur such as Chambord (reserving 1 tablespoon for the whipped cream)

100g ready- made meringues, broken

400ml double cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon icing sugar seasonal berries, to finish

BERRY SAUCE

500g frozen mixed berries

2 tablespoons golden caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

To make the berry sauce, place the frozen berries into a saucepan with sugar and vanilla paste and cook on a medium heat until juicy but the berries still have body. Allow to cool in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

If you prefer a thicker custard, gently heat the store-bought custard in a saucepan with a teaspoon of corn!our until thickened. Cover with a piece of cling"lm to prevent a skin from forming. Or use the custard straight from the container.

Layer the cake pieces in a glass presentation bowl and drizzle with the berry liqueur (reserving one tablespoon for the cream). Spoon over the berry sauce, add a layer of meringue and top with the custard. Chill until the custard has set.

Whip the cream with the vanilla extract, icing sugar and reserved berry liqueur until just holding its shape. Spoon the whipped cream on top of the custard, arranging the remaining meringue pieces around it.