Becoming The Meringue Queen

It's funny how the smallest things can define who we become. For me, it started with a simple pavlova, a dessert my mum made for special occasions. That's when my fascination with meringue began. Over the years, through countless experiments, creations, and challenges, I earned the title "The Meringue Queen". But like any good story the road to the crown wasn't without it's twists.

A Journey From Pavlovas to Pyramids to Clouds

As a child, I always looked forward to those special evenings when my mum would whip up her pavlova for dinner parties. Crisp on the outside, soft in the middle, and topped with berries and whipped cream, it was like magic to me. I would watch her carefully whip the egg whites slowly adding the sugar until they formed stiff peaks. Little did I know that this classic French meringue would be the foundation of something much bigger in my life.

My first true meringue challenge came during my first apprenticeship under Gary Flynn, a brilliant Australian chef with a creative mind. It was here I learned that meringue wasn't just one thing. Gary introduced me to Italian meringue - an entirely different beast. The process a little different, hot sugar syrup was poured slowly into whipped egg whites, and the result was something smooth and glossy, begging to be sculpted. My first challenge, using stencils that we had made, to create thin meringue triangles. Once baked, we assembled them into towering pyramids, with a hidden dessert inside. It was intricate and technical, but it tapped into my creativity in a way that nothing had before.

Signature Recipes: The Cloud Meringues of Hobbs House Bakery

Years later, when I began working at Hobbs House Bakery in the heart of the cotswolds, my relationship with meringues reached new heights - quite literally. Tom Herbert, my boss and a talented baker with a flair for creativity, asked me to create "Cloud meringues," inspired by a display he had seen at Ottolenghi's bakery in London. I didn't just take on the challenge, I ran with it.

I baked hundreds of cloud meringues over the next 15 years - large, fluffy, and full of delicious flavours. This was a Swiss meringue, different again to the other two types, and fairly fool proof, egg whites and sugar are mixed together in a bowl and set over a simmering pan of water until the sugar melts, then whipped to stiff glossy peaks. We showcased them on a large golden platter, perched atop a gnome named Philip, and they became the talk of the bakery. There were plain ones, white chocolate and cranberry, roasted hazelnut ones, rose water and pistachio ones, or raspberry and pistachio. Piled high these meringues were a spectacle. People would walk into the bakery and be instantly drawn to their sheer size and beauty. They weren't just desserts, they were art. And it was here that my love for meringue truly solidified.

Community Love: How I Became " The Meringue Queen "

It was at Hobbs House Bakery that people started to refer to me as the meringue queen, I think Tom started it. At first it was just a fun nickname that floated around the bakery, but as more and more customers asked for "Sasha's meringues " the title stuck. What started as an experiment turned into something much more - a way for me to express my creativity while connecting with the people who enjoyed my bakes, and I wore it proudly.

The Joy of Baking and the Power of Meringue

Baking, for me, is more than just a profession - it's a form of expression, a way to connect with others, and a constant source of joy. Meringues, in particular, have become the symbol of my baking journey. From my mum's pavlova to the towering clouds of Hobbs House, each creation has it's own story, it's own set of challenges, and it's own reward. And while I never set out to become "The Meringue Queen " I'm honoured to wear the crown, knowing that behind each bake is a little bit of my heart and a whole lot of passion.

So, next time you bite into a light, crispy, and sweet meringue, think of the journey that brought it to your plate. For me, it's been a journey filled with laughter, creativity, and endless possibilities - and I wouldn't trade it for the world.