Whether you’re wanting to whip up something impressive for a picnic in the garden, in need of something to bring along to your friends' BBQ, or looking to keep the kids entertained – these ideas might just come in useful.

Ingredients:
For the pastry:
175g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tbsp icing sugar
100g butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 free-range egg, beaten

For the crème pâtissière:
150ml whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
25g caster sugar
25g plain flour
1 free-range egg
75ml double cream

For the topping:
450g raspberries
Icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6.

2. To make the pastry, put the flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (or combine by hand in a bowl). Add the egg and blend (or mix with a wooden spoon) until it is just combined and forms a ball.

3. Dust a work surface with flour and tip the dough onto it. Roll the pastry out with a rolling pin. Cut it into eight rounds a little bigger than your tartlet tins. Line each tin with a disc of pastry and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

4. Blind bake the pastry: gently prick the pastry bases, then line the insides of the tins with baking paper. Fill with baking beans and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the beans and paper and return the bases to the oven for 5 minutes, until cooked and a pale golden-brown. Set aside to cool.

5. Meanwhile, to make the crème pâtissière, put the milk and vanilla in a saucepan. Heat until it’s very hot, but not boiling into a froth.

6. Put the sugar, flour and egg in a mixing bowl and whisk. Pour in half the hot milk and whisk again until smooth. Add the remaining hot milk and stir through. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and simmer over a low heat, stirring all the time, until very thick – this may take about two-three minutes.

7. Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge. Once cold, add the double cream, while whisking continuously. Spoon the crème pâtissière into the tart cases and chill in the fridge.

8. Arrange the raspberries standing upright on the crème pâtissière and dust with a little icing sugar just before serving.

Ingredients:
8 large egg whites
A pinch of salt
500g caster sugar
4 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp white wine vinegar
750ml double cream, whipped
750g berries (we like to use strawberries, raspberries and cherries at this time of year)
Icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4.

2. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they're holding firm peaks but are not stiff. Gently add in the sugar, spoonful after spoonful, still beating, until your mixture is airy and shiny. Sprinkle the cornflour, a few drops of vanilla and the vinegar on top, and fold in to combine.

3. Draw six circles, approximately 10cm in diameter (using a pint glass as a guide if this helps), on the baking paper lining your baking sheets.

4. Spoon the meringue onto the baking paper into the circles and spread to fill. You’ll need to make the meringue slightly higher at the rims, or just use the back of the spoon to make an indentation in the centre to hold the cream and fruit later.

5. Put into the oven, turn it down to 150°C/130°C Fan/Gas 2, and bake for 30 minutes. After this, turn the oven off but leave the meringues in for another 30 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks so they can fully cool.

6. When you’re ready to assemble the mini pavlovas, dollop cream into the indentation, and smooth it with the back of a spoon. Top with fruit, so that they look well filled but not crammed.

7. Dust with icing sugar to finish.