Hi Elvis, Well coneflower(Echinacea) seeds are always the same shape. The color and size may vary depending on the coneflower, but you can always tell they are coneflower seeds. People that don't know much about seeds often mess up and send the coneflower chaff around the seeds thinking that is the seeds instead of the seeds themselves. So that can be a possibility if your seeds don't look like coneflower seeds. I can't figure out what wirral is suppose to be. I googled it. Is it a shasta daisy cultivar? If so, shasta daisy seeds look like little sticks. Hopes this helps, Remy Here is a link that might be useful: google pics coneflower seeds.

Also you really need to push the meringue into the crust so that the filling is completely covered, moisture from filling might cause it to weep. My 1st thought was too much sugar & it has to trickle in as your mixer is going. Totally flattened might mean a humid day. Can't make candy with egg whites on a rainy or damp day. I've had the egg whites seem to be OK but then fall flat before I could mix it in with the syrup. I think they use a stabilizer in bakeries so it doesn't fall.

That's about right. Also, you can vary the amount of sugar. I have to do this since egg whites vary in size, too. After whipping the whites fully, I usually add the amount of sugar specified gradually, then check to see if it is stiff enough. The whipped whites with the incorporated sugar need to be very stiff to hold their shape in baking. If peaks are limp you will need to keep adding sugar. Thus you can adapt to the actual volume of your whites.

I would speculate that the pudding base was not cooked to a full, yet gentle, boil before the eggs were added. I make chocolate pudding all the time for hubs, as it is his go to favorite. It is much the same process of making a thickened pudding base before adding the eggs. Once the base comes to a boil, let it cook gently for a couple of minutes until it thickens up, but do account for the fact that it is going to get thicker as it sets up. Then add in the eggs and I generally bring it back to a very gentle boil ,briefly If you continue cooking that with the eggs in it, it is going to do some strange things to the eggs. After all, this is not really a custard pie such as a pumpkin or a buttermilk where it gets baked in the oven. I have a recipie from an old Betty Crocker book that uses both cornstarch and flour in egual measure. I like it better than just corn starch. It seems to give some extra body to the pie, but it doesnt taste at all floury. My difficulty is with the meringue... I cant seem to make one that does not end up weeping. You might try adding in a couple of tablespoons of flour along with the starch. I think it makes a nice difference and I have never had any problem with it not setting up. But, really, cook it until if has thickened BEFORE adding the eggs, and bring it back to a gentle boil very briefly after the eggs. I bet that solves the problem.