One thing to be aware of when it comes to using fruit in jelly is that some fresh fruits will prevent your jelly from setting; these include fresh pineapple, kiwi and papaya. Using these fruits are part of tinned mixture doesn’t seem to have that effect though…don’t ask me why.

You could pour over some sherry at this point if you were feeling that way inclined. 😉 Layer 2 – Strawberry Jelly Hopefully most people got that reference, otherwise you’ll be wondering what an earth this recipe is! (It’s from Friends –“The One Where Ross Got High”, highly recommend watching it for a good Trifle-related laugh). Sprinkle with the triple sec (other citrussy liqueurs would be excellent alternatives, as would amaretto, or the traditional sherry, or a fruit juice or syrup). 4 Lay the sliced citrus on top Once you’ve made your dream topping it can be kept in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, or you can freeze it. This means it’s perfect to make individual make ahead trifles (one of my favourite uses). Dream Topping Recipe Ideas: I make a large sherry trifle every Christmas. I put Madeira sponge as the base, soak it in sherry then add strawberries and make a pint of strawberry jelly using some strawberry juice to replace the pint of liquid. Pour jelly liquid over carefully and put straight into fridge.The last layer is cream and more often than not, I know that whipped cream is used here so if that’s what you want to use then get whipping and then spoon the cream onto the top of your trifle.

This is the controversial layer – do you or don’t you add jelly to a trifle? I do because that’s the way my Nana made it but I know that not everyone agrees. To me, it’s not a traditional English trifle without the jelly so its inclusion is never in doubt in this house! She always used to make hers in individual glass dishes but I’ve always made it in a big glass bowl that I have as it’s the perfect size for a trifle and it shows the layers of the trifle off really well but today I found some little glass ice cream bowls that are a bit deeper than the usual glass bowls you come across and the first thing I thought of when I saw them was how lovely they’d be for a trifle. How to make Nana’s Traditional English Trifle Use Dream Topping to make a trifle topping with a whipped cream layer – or even use it to add a deeper creamy topping to a standard box of trifle mix. It’s a trifle! It’s got all of these layers. First, there’s a layer of ladyfingers, then a layer of jam, then custard – which I made from scratch. Raspberries, more ladyfingers, then beef sautéed with peas and onions. Then a little bit more custard, then bananas, and then I put whipped cream on top…” Dream Topping Banoffee Pie – one of my favourites. Use Dream Topping as the top/white layer on top of your standard banoffee pie recipe.I use birds custard powder. I e found the best way to make a homemade trifle is over 3 days. Say you wanted to eat the trifle on a Sunday, I make the jelly on the Friday and allow to set in the fridge overnight. Make the custard on the Saturday and allow it to set in the fridge overnight, then make the dream topping on the Sunday morning and allow it to set from fairly early until just before eating. Then I decorate just before serving. I am planning to make it myself for the Jubilee celebrations so I’ll update the photos when I do (if I remember)!