It’s the Caulfield Cup tomorrow. Time to frock up and watch the gee-gees while sipping pink champagne. Don’t want to sip? How about eating it then? Or, even better, both!

This dessert is a bit of a pain in the bum to make, but it does look glam. Perfectly fitting for a Spring Racing Carnival party.

Chin Chin!

STRAWBERRY & PINK CHAMPAGNE JELLY

Serves 6

600g strawberries, hulled

100g caster sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

8 sheets of leaf gelatine

750ml bottle of pink champagne

2 tablespoons crème de peche (peach liqueur)

Slice 500g of the strawberries and place in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice.

Cover the bowl with cling film and leave it like this for 30-40 minutes checking the water in the pan occasionally and topping it up with boiling water if necessary. The fruit will yield a clear pink fragrant juice.

Line a large sieve with wet muslin and place over a clean bowl. Pour the strawberry jus into the sieve and leave it to drip through but don’t rub the pulp otherwise the jus will lose its clarity. Discard the fruit pulp.

Soften the gelatine sheets in cold water for about 5 minutes of so. Pour the strawberry jus into a clean pan and heat until on the point of boiling then take off the heat. Remove the gelatine from the cold water, squeezing out excess water and then slip into the hot jus, whisking until dissolved. Pass through a sieve into a bowl.

Allow to cool then mix in the crème de peche and champagne. Leave until the jelly is cold and on the point of setting. You may need to place it in the fridge for a few hours for this to happen but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t set too much.

Slice the remaining 100g of strawberries. Have ready 6 champagne flutes or wine glasses. Dip the strawberry slices into the setting jelly and stick to the side of the glasses. If they wont stick, place the glasses on their sides and place the strawberries on the side of the glasses and refrigerate until they don’t move.

To make the jelly sparkle, whisk the setting jelly until lightly frothy and divide it between the glasses. Chill until completely set.

To serve, top with a thin layer of double cream or a layer of strawberry or raspberry flavoured cream.