Pour 1 cup of cranberry juice into a bowl/jug, sprinkle the gelatin and combine. Set aside. Pour the remaining juice into a saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Pour over the gelatin, mix to dissolve and let it cool. Once cool enough to refrigerate, add the mixed berries and leave to set in the fridge, 2 hours to overnight or until properly set.

Bring the milk and vanilla to a medium heat/simmer without boiling it.

Whisk the egg yolks, castor sugar and maizena in a bowl/jug. Gradually pour in the heated milk until combined. Return the milk mixture to the saucepan on the stove, reduce the heat low to medium and keep stirring until the milk mixture thickens into a custard. Pour the custard into a jug and place cling wrap over it while it cools down. Make sure the cling wrap touches to top of the custard to prevent a crust forming. Use a spoon to gently lay or you can gently pour half the custard over the set jelly.

Cut the cake into squares or slice it. Either way lay cubes/slice of cake over the custard. Now is the time to add the sherry if adding and any extra fruit or cake pieces to the center, filling the sides up with more fruit. Pour the remaining custard and top off with the whipped cream. Place the trifle in the fridge while you make the meringue cream.

In a saucepan over medium to high heat add half the sugar, water and cream of tarter. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, drop the heat and let it cook until the sugar is completely dissolved and you have tiny bubbles with a clear surface in the pan. Meanwhile in a stand mixer or you can use a hand held beater to whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time while the motto is running and beat until the sugar is all added and you cant feel any sugar when the cream is rubbed between your fingers. Gradually add the hot sugary syrup into the meringue cream while the eggs are whisking, for a good 5 to 6 minutes.

Return the trifle and spoon the meringue cream onto the whipping cream with a spoon and use the back of the spoon to create peaks. The meringue cream may not all fit onto the trifle and don't overload it or it will drip down. Finish with toasted almonds and return to the fridge to set.