Preheat the oven to 145 degrees Celsius / 295 degrees Fahrenheit (no fan) and prepare an oven tray lined with baking parchment paper.
Separate the egg whites into a large mixing bowl.
Whip the egg whites with an electric hand whisk until they turn white and form stiff peaks.
Gradually add the sugar a tablespoon at a time whilst continuing to whisk as the meringue becomes glossy. Add the powdered food coloring at the end.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and cut 1 inch from the tip.
Pipe meringue kisses onto the lined baking tray. Leave a small gap in between as they will expand slightly as they bake.
Baking meringue
Bake meringue cookies for 20 minutes. Turn the oven off but do not open it.Allow the pink meringue kisses to cool completely and dry out whilst still inside the oven for at least 2 hours.
Assemble Eton Mess
Whip heavy cream and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until it is thick and gloopy but not stiff. Core and slice up the fresh strawberries.
Assemble Eton Mess by crumbling some of the meringue cookies over whipped cream in serving bowls. Add fresh strawberries and whole meringue cookies on top.
Notes
It may take a while for the egg whites to reach the desired consistency, but keep at it! You want them to go white and frothy, and pretty solid. I have found that it is hard to make a decent meringue from the cartons of egg white you can buy in supermarkets, so I'd advise not to do that.