Meringue snowmen

Preheat the oven to 130ºC, fan 110ºC, gas 3. In a clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites with a handheld electric whisk, until the mixture is craggy.

Gradually whisk in the sugar, adding just a little at a time. Continue to whisk as you add the sugar, until the meringue is very thick and glossy.

Secure a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking sheet with dabs of meringue. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain round nozzle. Pipe 8x6cm rounds, lifting the bag as you pipe to create a snowman-shaped body.

Position 3 currants on the side of the meringue body for buttons.

Pipe 8 smaller rounds on a second lined baking sheet. Bake the meringues for 1 hour 20 minutes or until crisp and dry and the meringues lift easily off the paper.

Cool the meringues. Pipe eyes and a nose on the smaller meringues to make faces. Shape small hats with black or green ready-to-roll fondant icing.

Using a skewer, carefully push a hole up from the base of the large meringues. Open out a paper cake case and make a small hole in the centre. Tie a knot in the end of a strawberry shoelace and thread it though the hole and up through the large meringue. Thread through the small meringue.

Top with a little hat and hang the snowman on the tree.