Mixed berry pavlova with poached rhubarb and orange-ginger curd

Begin by making the meringue layers for the pavlova. Preheat the oven to 135°C fan, then line a large baking tray with parchment paper 

Trace four circles in decreasing sizes onto the piece of parchment, then flip upside down on the tray so that the ink side is facing down 

Crack the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on a medium-high speed with the whisk attachment 

Once the egg whites start to foam, add in the sugar a tablespoon at a time, while beating on a medium speed for around 5 minutes 

Once the egg whites are aerated and thick, gradually add in the cornflour, cream of tartar and lemon juice whilst continuing to whisk

Whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form 

Use a spatula to transfer the meringue to the parchment paper, gently smoothing mounds of the meringue over each of the lined circles 

Bake in the pre-heated oven for around 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the meringue is crisp on the outside and the base is cooked through. It is ready when the meringue lifts up easily from the base of the parchment paper

Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar for around 3 hours or overnight if possible 

Towards the end of the meringues’ cooling time, prepare the orange and ginger curd

Use your fingers to rub the zests and ginger into the sugar until fragrant

Simmer the orange juice in a small saucepan until it has reduced by half to around 120ml. Leave to cool 

Use an electric whisk to beat the room-temperature butter until softened

Beat the zesty sugar into the butter, then add the yolks and eggs one at a time 

Season with a pinch of salt, gradually whisk in the orange juice bit by bit, and then add the lemon juice

Next, prepare a bain Marie. Transfer the mix to a heatproof bowl, fill a saucepan with just a few centimetres of water, and bring to a simmer. Place the bowl of curd over the top 

Gently cook the curd over the bain Marie, stirring constantly for around 10 minutes, or until thick enough to just coat the back of a spoon 

Transfer the curd to a room temperature bowl and leave to cool 

Next, prepare the poached rhubarb. First slice the rhubarb into 3 cm chunks 

Bring the water and sugar to a simmer, whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the rhubarb and gently poach until tender, about 3 minutes

For the whipped cream, use an electric mixer to beat together the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form, then set aside 

Wash and dry the fresh fruit, then top and quarter the strawberries

To assemble the pavlova, use the largest meringue as the base and top it with a generous portion of the whipped cream 

Sprinkle over some fresh fruit along with the poached rhubarb then top with another layer of meringue

Repeat until all of the meringue layers have been assembled, then garnish the whipped cream layers with the remaining fruit

If the orange and ginger curd has thickened too much after cooling, add it to a saucepan along with a splash of water and whisk well over a low heat until the desired consistency is reached 

Finish by drizzling the pavlova with generous amounts of the orange and ginger curd