Prepare the Oven and Dry Ingredients: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, caster sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Cut in the Butter: Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized lumps of butter remaining.

Mix the Wet Ingredients and Form Dough: In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg, 80ml of double cream, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract together. Pour this into the flour and butter mixture and gently mix with a fork until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Be careful not to overmix.

Bake the Shortcakes: Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared baking tray, about 5cm apart. You should get about 8-10 shortcakes. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until they are puffed and the edges are a lovely golden brown.

Cool the Shortcakes: Let the shortcakes cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, you can crumble them into bite-sized pieces.

Macerate the Strawberries: While the shortcakes bake, prepare your fruit. In a medium bowl, gently toss the sliced strawberries with 2 tbsp of caster sugar and the lemon juice, if using. Set aside for at least 20 minutes at room temperature. This process, known as maceration, draws out the natural juices to create a delicious syrup.

Whip the Cream: In a large, chilled bowl, pour in the 400ml of cold double cream and the remaining 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, whisk the cream on a medium-high speed until it holds soft to medium peaks. I find that stopping just before it gets stiff gives the best, most luxurious texture.

Assemble the Trifles: Now for the fun part! Grab 6 individual serving glasses or jars. Start with a layer of crumbled shortcake at the bottom. Top this with a generous spoonful of the juicy strawberries and their syrup. Add a thick layer of whipped cream. Repeat the layers until the glasses are full, finishing with a final dollop of cream.

Chill and Garnish: For the best flavour, let the trifles chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the shortcake to soften slightly with the strawberry juices. Just before serving, garnish with a fresh strawberry slice or a sprig of mint.