I like a mince pie, don’t get me wrong. There is nothing quite like a warm mince pie washed down with a mug of steaming tea. In December.

On the other hand when you are faced with a box of only just started mince pies and 12th night bearing down on you, if you are going to have any chance of starting a vaguely healthy new year you are going to have to do better than just taking them to work. Let’s face it, if you just take them into the office you are likely to be faced with a family-sized yule log and selection box of regional cheeses which you’ll have to graciously consume in return. That’s before you consider the fact that it is slightly socially unacceptable to take an open packet of something as a gift offering.

I think of it as a sort of game of musical chairs, where no one wants to be left holding the snacks which score  red on all sections of the nutritional indicator wheel when the Christmas decorations come down.

With this motivation in mind and inspired by Heston’s lemon curd-laced creations, I set about finding a way to get through my own surfeit of mince pies. I struggled with a name but essentially what I came up with is somewhere between a trifle and lemon meringue pie, layering up mince pies with a home-made orange and ginger jelly.

With no cream in the house and no time for shopping, I needed an alternative topping. I had been looking for a home for some frozen egg whites which were occupying my preferred cute little plastic containers, hence the meringue topping was born. If you aren’t confident enough with making meringue, just settle for whipped cream.

Back to the name.

The French celebrate epiphany with a Galette des Rois. Queen of Puddings is a layered cake-like, jam and meringue dish. So I plumped for ‘Trifle of Kings’ for this one. Alright, it’s a bit tenuous I know and not in the least bit descriptive. I promise to do better next time.

Having made it and served it at a family get together my advice would be that if you do want to serve it in a style fit for a King, I’d go for individual (heat proof) dishes. When you dip a serving spoon into a firm jelly base topped with smooth meringue, there is no avoiding the avalanche of sticky, syrupy mess that ensues. Still tastes the same but they do say the first bite is with the eyes.

Read the Recipe or watch the highlights below.