Well, it must be summer by now, because our first arranged barbecue was transferred indoors, out of the wind and drizzle, with the meat being grilled underneath a golf umbrella.

I do hope that there’s better weather ahead, because it’s all been rather dismal so far. However, this great country didn’t get where it was by staring glumly out of windows.

So let’s roll our sleeves up, carry on regardless, and crack on with this week’s recipe, which is a slight re-imagining of the classic British dessert, the trifle.

It’s a very old dish, first appearing with the name ‘trifle’, presumably a reference to its lightness and ease of production, in 1587.

Back then it was little more than whipped cream flavoured with ginger and rosewater, but as the years progressed, eggs made an appearance, as did the sponge layer and fresh fruit.

As with many such recipes, the family tree spreads wide and fast, with dozens of variants existing at once, all under the name ‘trifle’. You’ll no doubt have a personal family favourite. I know I do. Mum’s sherry trifle, which makes rare but welcome appearances, especially with my cousin Daryl, is built with fresh berries, Swiss Roll, and more than a little drop of sherry. Others may include tinned fruit salad (who gets the cherry?!) or even a splash of Vimto, and we’ve all had a trifle sprinkled with hundreds & thousands at some point, haven’t we?

As you might imagine, my version is a slight re-imagining of the traditional recipe, but still ticks all those familiar boxes – sponge, jelly, cream and fruit.

My initial idea was to use the recipe to herald the arrival of the British strawberries, and they’re definitely around, even if they’re being slightly reluctant to ripen this year. I don’t blame them, with this cool weather, frankly. I’m sure that the next few weeks will see them tumble onto the shelves in greater numbers. So, strawberries it is.

I decided to make my own jelly, which gives a wonderfully fresh flavour compared to bought jelly cubes. It’s definitely a stage you can choose to avoid, but I urge you to give it a go – it’s really very easy. For the sponge element, I decided upon brioche. I adore this sweet, dense loaf, which is great for summer puddings and charlottes, and adds a rich, buttery dimension to the trifle. We make use of it in the crunchy topping too, which avoids waste.

Above this, a simple ‘salad’ of diced fresh strawberries, bound with a little lemon juice, a sprinkle of sugar and some fresh thyme, a herb which goes so well with this fruit.

Traditional trifles usually separate the custard and cream layers, but I wanted to avoid this, so I could have a crunchy topping. And this custard is a beaut. Some things should not be tinkered with, and for me the presence of tinned custard is mandatory.

Here is not the place for fancy crème Anglaise or crème pat. Devon custard out of a tin is exactly what we need for that time-warp back to the endless hot summer afternoons of our youth.

I lightened it with some mascarpone, after I’d seen it in another recipe, and it works brilliantly. It has a delightful flavour, and just the right texture to hold everything together.

The topping is the trimmings of the brioche, chopped and toasted until golden, with a little more thyme, a grind of black pepper (brilliant with strawbs) and some shards of dried strawberry.

Hopefully the whole thing strikes the correct balance between tradition and innovation; it certainly tastes delightful.

FOR THE JELLY:

600g Strawberries

2 tbsps sugar

The juice of 1 lemon

4 leaves gelatine

FOR THE DRIED STRAWBERRIES:

Half a dozen large firm strawberries

Lemon juice

FOR THE SPONGE BASE:

6 slices brioche loaf (use the trimmings to make the crumbs)

FOR THE CUSTARD:

250g mascarpone

1 tin ready-to-serve custard

FOR THE STRAWBERRY SALAD:

1 punnet fresh, ripe strawberries

Thyme

Lemon juice

A little caster sugar (optional)

FOR THE CRUNCHY TOPPING:

Brioche crumbs

Fresh thyme

Black pepper

Dried strawberry pieces

EXTRAS:

6 jars or ramekins, 7 or 8cm diameter

A little mint or salad burnet

METHOD:

Firstly, get the dried strawberries on the go. Remove the stalks and slice the fruit as thinly as possible. Dip each slice in lemon juice, shake off the excess liquid, and place on a tray lined with a silicon sheet or greaseproof paper. Leave under hot lights or in a warm place for several hours, turning occasionally, until they are completely dehydrated.

Now make the strawberry jelly; Remove the stalks and roughly chop the strawberries.

Place in a bowl, add a sprinkle of sugar, the lemon juice and a small splash of water. Cover the bowl tightly with clingfilm and set over a pan of simmering water. Allow the strawberries to break down, releasing their juice, which should take about an hour, then strain carefully through a non-reactive sieve. You should have about 400ml of strong strawberry juice.

Heat this gently, and put the gelatine in a jug of cold water. When it’s fully soaked, squeeze it dry and stir into the warm strawberry juice. Allow to cool while you make the custard.

For this, simply open the tin of custard into a bowl, and beat in the mascarpone until you have a smooth texture.

Make the strawberry ‘salad’ by chopping the strawberries into small dice, and tossing them in a splash of lemon juice. Add sugar if required, and a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves.

Now to assemble; cut the brioche into discs to fit the base of your chosen pots or jars and lay these in the bottom. Finely chop the trimmed pieces and scatter on a baking

tray. Heat the oven to 190ºC / Gas 5 and bake the crumbs until golden. Do watch them carefully, as brioche is very sweet, and will catch very quickly. Allow them to cool, then add a few grinds of pepper and some more fresh thyme.

If the jelly is cold but liquid, pour over the brioche discs until fully soaked, plus a little more. Chill in the fridge until set.

Then, spoon over some strawberry salad, and pipe or spoon over a thick layer of mascarpone custard. To finish, stick some shards of dried strawberry into the custard and sprinkle over a layer of brioche crumbs.

Garnish with a little mint or salad burnet, if you have some.