This is quintessentially an English summer dessert.  I love meringue, it's dead easy to make but looks special and festive. It can be made in advance so that you only have a very limited amount of fiddling about just before you serve it, which is always helpful.  My grandmother used to make meringue ALL the time.  Pavlova was her speciality, so every time I make meringue I think of her.

Having said how easy it all is, I do think there are a few secrets to good meringues.  Firstly, it has to be a dry day, no really, there's something about the humidity of wet weather that makes meringues VERY chewy.  Secondly, make sure your bowl and whisk is squeaky clean,  any grease will effect the texture of the egg whites.

Ok, assuming it's a lovely day and everything's clean, here's what you'll need:

8 egg whites (save the yolks for custard)
16 oz  sugar (I know it's a lot, but it makes a lot of meringue and how often are you really going to eat these?)
8 oz of heavy cream
2-3 cups of fresh berries
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of sugar

That's it!!

Heat the oven to 250F

Whisk the egg whites in a bowl with the whisk attachment until you have soft peaks. 

Carry on whisking adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time. The mixture will get very shiny.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and spoon out the nests, about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of mixture. 

Make an indentation on the top of each (where the cream and berries will sit).

Place the baking sheets in the oven for an hour.  Check the meringue, if they are dry on the bottom they are cooked, if not cook for another half hour, checking every 15 minutes.

When ready, take out of the oven and allow to cool completely.

To prepare the fruit hull the strawberries and cut into quarters. In a large bowl mix the strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.  Add the tablespoon of sugar and lemon juice and let sit. 

Whisk the heavy cream to soft peaks.

To serve, fill the nests with cream and top with berries.