Festive meringue wreath with clotted cream, spiced apples and salted caramel

For the meringues:

• Free‑range egg whites 6 large
• Caster sugar 350g

For the spiced apples:

• Trewithen Dairy Salted Butter 40g
• Light brown soft sugar 50g
• Mixed spice 2 tsp
• Tart apples (we use Granny Smith) 2, cored and thinly sliced

For the salted caramel:

• Light brown soft sugar 175g
• Trewithen Dairy Cornish Clotted Cream 200g
• Trewithen Dairy Salted Butter 50g
• Sea salt flakes 1 tsp

To assemble:

• Trewithen Dairy Cornish Clotted Cream 200g
• Fudge 50g, crumbled
• Icing sugar 10g, for sifting
• Fresh mint leaves to garnish

1. For the meringues: preheat the oven to 140°C / gas 1. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
2. Using a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, 1 spoonful at a time, and continue to whisk until the mixture is thick, glossy and holds stiff peaks.
3. Transfer the meringue mixture to a piping bag, snip off the tip and pipe small meringues onto the lined tray, pulling the bag away to make neat peaks.
4. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour or until completely cooked – the bottoms should sound hollow when tapped. Once cooked, turn off the oven, leave the door slightly ajar and allow the meringues to cool completely on the tray.
5. For the spiced apples: melt the butter in a heavy‑based pan over a low to medium heat. Stir in the sugar and mixed spice then, once the sugar has melted, add the apple slices and cover with the sauce. Reduce the heat and allow the apples to cook gently until soft but holding their shape. Set aside.
6. For the salted caramel sauce: combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat a little and simmer until it becomes thick and glossy. Set aside.
7. To assemble the wreath: place a ramekin of salted caramel sauce and a ramekin of clotted cream on a large platter. Arrange the meringues into a wreath shape. Fill in the gaps with spiced apples and crumbled fudge pieces. Sift icing sugar over the top and garnish with mint leaves.