Gill Meller's strawberry, lemon and elderflower meringue
Gill Meller's strawberry and elderflower meringue is basically summer on a plate.


Fresh elderflower and strawberries is another lovely, quintessential companionship, but there’s only a small window in which to get these two seasonal delights together. The elderflowers will disappear long before the strawberries. Happily, while the elder’s in bloom, you can pick the flowers and bottle the essence by way of a cordial so that you can enjoy this fragrant combination throughout summer, or for as long as the strawberries last.
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 400ml double cream
- Juice and finely-grated zest of one lemon
- 3 tbsp elderflower cordial
- 300-400 grams (10-14 oz) of ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 tbsp unrefined caster sugar
- A few elderflower heads to decorate (if available)
For the meringue
- 4 egg whites
- 200g (7 oz) unrefined caster sugar
Method
- Before beginning, set the the oven to 120°C/100°C fan/235°F/gas mark 1.
- First, make the meringue. Place the egg whites in a large, clean bowl. Whisk with a hand-held electric whisk until they form and hold soft peaks. (You can do this in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, if you prefer.)
- Keeping the whisk running, add 1 large spoonful of sugar at a time, until all the sugar is incorporated. Continue to whisk for a further 6–8 minutes, until the meringue is thick, pale, smooth and glossy.
- Lightly grease a sheet of baking parchment and lay it on a large (at least 30 x 30cm/12 x 12in) baking sheet. Spoon the meringue onto the parchment, trying to make a large disc with slightly peaked edges – it doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Bake the meringue in the oven for 25–30 minutes, then turn down the heat to 110°C/90°C fan/225°F/gas mark 1⁄2 and bake for a further 2 hours, until the meringue has formed a crisp shell.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool. (If you’re not using the meringue straight away, store it in an airtight container for up to 1 week.)
- When you’re ready to serve the meringue, pour the cream into a large bowl and add half the lemon juice and half the zest and two tablespoons of the cordial. Whisk until the cream is thick enough to just hold soft peaks.
- Place the strawberry slices in a bowl with the remaining lemon juice and the remaining cordial. Gently turn them to coat.
- Spoon the cream onto the meringue, top with strawberries and sprinkle over the sugar. Serve with a scattering of the remaining lemon zest and some elderflower petals, if they’re in season.
This recipe originally appeared in 'Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower — how to cook with vegetables and other plants'. You can follow Gill Meller on Instagram, here
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Gill Meller is a chef, award-winning food writer, teacher and advocate for real cooking. Based in Lyme Regis, Dorset, he has written extensively about the joys of outdoor cookery and how making a simple fire and 'cooking something good to eat over it' can help us connect to a more natural, mindful way of life. Gill appears frequently on Channel 4’s ‘River Cottage’ and has worked closely with the River Cottage for more than 20 years, regularly teaching at Park Farm (River Cottage HQ). His work is regularly published in The Guardian and the Observer, The Telegraph, Waitrose Food and Delicious Magazine. He has also appeared on BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme. Published by Quadrille, Gill’s first book, Gather, won the Fortnum & Mason award for Best Debut Food Book in 2017 and was shortlisted for the Andre Simon Award and Guild of Food Writers Award the same year. Time: a year and a day in the kitchen was published in September 2018 and was nominated for both Guild of Food Writers’ General Cookbook Award and Food & Travel magazine’s Cookbook of the Year Award. Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower - how to cook with vegetables and other plants was published in 2020 and was nominated for the Guild of Food Writers’ General Cookbook Award. His latest cookbook Outside - Recipes for a wilder way of eating is out now.
-
White sand beaches, smuggler's coves, teeming wildlife and a ruined castle in a Scottish island that's on the market for the first time in almost a century
Just off the west coast of Scotland lies Shuna Island, a true playground of open spaces, natural beauty, wildlife, beaches and — yes — a castle. And it's looking for a new owner.
-
Can you feel the quiz tonight: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 17, 2025
The Lion King meets rhurbab and custard in today's quiz.
-
11 golden rules for making a perfect cup of tea
We drink tea every day, but are we doing it correctly? Who decided on the rules and do they really matter? Jonathon Jones reveals all.
-
How to make Eton mess strawberry blondies
Our kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson shares a mouthwatering recipe bringing together two of the greatest foodstuffs on the planet: strawberries and meringue.
-
The era of the £50 burger and chips is here — and it's a revelation
The second coming of the high-low restaurant — where chefs pair martinis with burgers — is here. Will Hosie tells more.
-
The imperfect science of the perfect martini and where you can get one in London
Dirty, dry, with fries, gin or vodka. There's a lot to think about for such a simple cocktail.
-
All hail fish and chips: Our guide to the nation’s favourite dish, done right
Our writers share their top picks of where to go for the best of the best, this National Fish & Chip Day.
-
Gill Meller's recipe for a herb-filled tart that makes the most of Spring produce
Make the most of the last few days of May and Spring's bumper crop of ingredients with this herby spring tart recipe.
-
'Here in the South West, we value our seafood. We celebrate it': Mitch Tonks on his new Salcombe restaurant and the state of our fishing industry
Oliver Berry catches up with the celebrated seafood chef to discuss the opening of his new restaurant in Salcombe, the challenges of converting an old boatshed, and why he thinks his online fishmonger and cannery business might be the future.
-
The prawn identity: Tom Parker Bowles on his love of the classic prawn cocktail
It’s as retro as a pair of corduroy flares, but the classic dish is a lily that needs no gilding, says our columnist.