To celebrate the spirit of summer, this month we are bringing you an easy and delicious matcha dessert recipe. A variation on a British summer classic, our Matcha Mess with fresh fruit is light yet satisfying - perfect for hot weather! Composed of crispy meringue pieces, pale clouds of matcha-flavoured whipped cream and delightful fresh fruit, this dessert is impressive yet relatively quick to assemble. For the most delicious results, we recommend making your own meringues a day in advance.

As for the fruit, the original Eton Mess used only strawberries, which already go very well with matcha. But why not experiment with a mixture of fruits? We made our summery Matcha Mess with crisp apple, zingy kiwi and juicy peach. This elegant combination gave our dessert a beautiful colour palette, not to mention exciting contrasts with each spoonful!

Ingredients

Makes 4 portions

For the meringue (if making from scratch):

3 egg whites
pinch salt
150g caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour

For the rest:

150ml double cream
1 tsp matcha
1 1/2 tsp sugar
fresh fruit
extra matcha for dusting

Method

To make the meringue from scratch:

Preheat the oven to 100C.

Add the salt to the egg whites and whisk into a foam.

Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, whisking thoroughly between each addition. Keep whisking until the sugar is completely incorporated with no granules left. By this point, the egg whites should be stiff and glossy.

Fold in the cornflour until combined. Spoon the meringue into eight even balls onto a tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 1 hour or until completely dry.

Allow to cool in the oven overnight if possible. Store in an airtight tin at room temperature until serving.

To assemble the matcha fruit mess:

Add the sugar and matcha to the cream and whip until firm.

Crush the meringues into 1-2cm pieces and dust lightly with extra matcha.

Peel and decoratively slice the fruits of your choice.

Arrange the matcha cream, matcha-dusted meringue and fresh fruit in four individual bowls, using alternating layers to achieve height and interest. Serve immediately.