• 3 medium ripe pears
• 2 tablespoons golden caster sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• A small knob of butter
• 500ml double cream
• 100g dark chocolate
• 100g cooked, peeled chestnuts

For the meringue

• 5 Stonegate organic egg whites
• 250g unrefined caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan and line a nice flat oven tray (34 × 28cm) with lightly greased baking parchment.

Peel and core the pears, then cut them into bite sized chunks. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium high heat and add the pears, the seeds and pod from the vanilla, and the sugar. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the pears soften and caramelise slightly but still hold their shape. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, whisking well between each addition, until the meringue is glossy and firm. Sift over the cocoa powder and gently fold it in.

Spread the mixture evenly over the prepared tray and bake for 8 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/140°C fan and bake for a further 15 minutes, until crisp.

Turn the meringue out onto a sheet of baking parchment or a clean tea towel and peel away the lining paper. Leave to cool.

Break the chocolate into a bowl. Heat 150ml of the cream until just simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Leave for a few minutes, then stir until smooth. Let it cool to room temperature.

Whip the remaining 350ml cream to soft peaks and fold it through the cooled chocolate along with the crumbled chestnuts.

Spread the chocolate cream over the meringue, leaving a small border along the far edge. Scatter the vanilla pears evenly over the top. Using the parchment or cloth to help, carefully roll the meringue from one long side into a roulade. Wrap and chill well in the fridge.

To serve, unwrap the roulade and slice it into thick rounds, or bring the whole thing to the table and let everyone dig in.