Vacherin

We have thoroughly enjoyed the first day of advent today... the tree and decorations went up and poinsettias were planted and put by the front door. It's like a winter wonderland in our house! Snowflake (whose name comes into its own at this time of year) has already knocked a bauble off the tree, and I have sung along to Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" (be thankful you weren't nearby to hear it).

Our friends John and Hannah moved onto the resort today, and I'm so pleased to have them living so near now. There aren't many full-time residents on the resort, and a lot of our friends live in nearby villages, but it's lovely to have people just around the corner. I wanted to bake them some biscuits as a housewarming gift but John doesn't eat grains, so I made these coffee and banana vacherins instead, from the Mary Berry baking bible that my Sister-in-law got me for my birthday. I changed the recipe slightly (sorry Mary!) and decided to bake individual meringues, instead of a big cake. I actually meant to make 6 in total, but my maths is that bad I ended up with 5! I also added a dusting of cocoa... that Mary Berry could learn a thing or two from me.