One fine day in 1892, the French chef Auguste Escoffier created an entirely new dessert by combining peach slices and raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream. On this day, in the Savoy Hotel, London, the Peach Melba was born.

This delicious creation was made to honour the Australian soprano Nellie Melba, who was performing in Wagner's opera Lohengrin at Covent Garden at the time. So, it was served in a silver dish perched atop an ice sculpture of a swan, which is featured in the opera.

Want to make this at home but don’t have any peaches? Don’t even think about subbing peach out for another fruit. In the words of Auguste Escoffier, “any variation on the recipe would ruin the delicate balance of its taste.” So no Durian Melbas, y'hear?