Blackcurrant and amaretti mess

Dessert; Serves 4; Total time: 15 minutes plus cooling

Blackcurrants and amaretti are always an excellent match for one another. This pudding pays homage to Eton Mess – the schoolboy's concoction of meringue, raspberries and whipped cream that always earns top marks.

The combination is open to interpretation without coming unstuck, though I personally prefer to temper the whipped cream with some fromage frais. I also generally like to ensure that the proportion of fruit is hefty, so that it offsets the rich sweetness of the other ingredients.

The fruit here leans heavily towards raspberries, but should you be so privileged to have access to loganberries and wild strawberries, then so much the better. In fact, the fruit alone makes a lovely summer compote, delicious when served with crème fraiche, and it takes all of five minutes to prepare. You may like to tart it up with a drop of raspberry eau-de-vie.

250g blackcurrants, strung using a fork
50g caster sugar
200g raspberries
150ml whipping cream, whipped
150g fromage frais
90g amaretti

Place the blackcurrants and sugar in a small saucepan and heat gently for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has melted and the currants are almost submerged in juice. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool, then stir in the raspberri

Select a deep 18cm bowl, such as you might make a trifle in. Combine the cream and the fromage frais. Break up the amaretti, and make two layers each of amaretti, cream and fruit, ending with fruit. Chill before serving; the amaretti will lose their crispness after a while, but it's still good to eat.