Caroline's Cooking

Internationally inspired recipes for everyone to enjoy - mostly healthy, always tasty

You are here: Home / Desserts / Eton mess

Eton mess

by 51 Comments

Pin
Tweet
Share

Eton mess is a classic British dessert that is incredibly easy to prepare – simply fruit, cream and meringue mixed together – but the result is so delicious. It’s perfect for a party or easy anytime treat.

Eton messWe’ve made having people over for a barbecue/cook out a bit of a tradition for Memorial Day, as I imagine many others do as well. I usually manage to come up with some favorites to grill, like chicken satay and burgers (such as a maple turkey burger or burger with chipotle salsa and avocado). We have a few favorite sides, and I might sneak in some newer ones like Mexican street corn salad. But dessert, for some reason, I sometimes find tricky.

A cake might seem easiest as you can make it in advance, but I always find it a bit too heavy after the inevitable pile of food we’ve just eaten from the grill. Fruit is lighter and fits the season, but can seem a little, well, just like a bowl of fruit. That’s where Eton Mess comes in as the perfect, easy dessert for this time of year that’s both delicious and relatively light.

Eton messTrue, ‘mess’ is a little appropriate in that it’s not likely to win a dessert beauty contest, but you can smarten it a little with nice glasses to serve and keeping some fruit for the top. And once everyone digs in, the appearance will be the last thing on their minds.

Eton messWhere does Eton mess get it’s name?

The story goes that Eton mess came about by a meringue dessert being accidentally crushed at Eton College, one of the oldest and most elite private schools in England, and what was created was then served. Whether true or not, it is apparently served annually at the school’s cricket match against Harrow school and has been for over a century. It’s also become more and more popular beyond that elite world, and for good reason.

Cream, fruit and crunchy meringue are a fantastic mix of textures and flavors that work so well together. It almost feels a stretch to call it a recipe, it’s so easy. But either way, it’s worth more people knowing about it to be able to enjoy.

ingredients for Eton messHow it’s made

This is typically made just with strawberries, but given I’m adding this to a US holiday table, it seemed only right to add blueberries. Plus, they are tasty and give us red, white and blue. Ta da! I’ve been fairly heavy on the fruit and less so on the cream in this version, but if you’d like a bit more cream then feel free to adjust the amounts. I made homemade meringues, but you can use store-bought as well. Either way, you can store them a while then just whip the cream and mix with the fruit and broken meringue and that’s it.

Eton mess is an incredibly easy and delicious dessert, that is perfect to enjoy in warmer weather. Light, creamy and with just enough sweetness, it will be a favorite in no time.

Eton mess 

5 from 2 votes
Eton mess
Print
Eton mess
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

This easy dessert screams British summer food, but really it would be perfect anytime, anywhere.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Keyword: easy dessert, no bake dessert
Servings: 3 -4
Calories: 347 kcal
Author: Caroline's Cooking
Ingredients
  • 8 oz strawberries 225g
  • 3 oz blueberries 85g
  • 1 oz meringues 30g, homemade or store bought
  • 1 cup heavy cream 120ml double cream
Instructions
  1. Husk and roughly chop the strawberries into small bite-sized pieces and mix with the blueberries.
  2. Break the meringues into similar sized pieces.
  3. When ready to serve, whisk the cream until soft peaks then mix in the strawberries, blueberries and meringues, holding back a few pieces of strawberry and blueberries for the top.
  4. Transfer to serving glasses/dishes and top with the reserved strawberries and blueberries,
Nutrition Facts
Eton mess
Amount Per Serving
Calories 347 Calories from Fat 261
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 45%
Saturated Fat 18g 90%
Cholesterol 108mg 36%
Sodium 39mg 2%
Potassium 196mg 6%
Total Carbohydrates 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 14g
Protein 2g 4%
Vitamin A 23.3%
Vitamin C 57.8%
Calcium 6.4%
Iron 2.2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Try these other easy desserts:

See what other red, white and blue offerings have been brought to the Sunday Supper table:

Food Using One Color
Red Food

White Food

Blue Food

Food Using Two Colors
Red and White Food

Blue and White Food

Red, White and Blue Food

5 Tips for Potlucks by Sunday Supper Movement

Remember to pin for later!

Eton mess is a classic British dessert that is incredibly easy to prepare - simply fruit, cream and meringue mixed together - but the result is so delicious. It's perfect for a spring/summer party, and quick enough to put together any night of the week for an easy treat. And conveniently red, white and blue as well! #memorialday #dessert #redwhiteandblue #meringue #cream #easydessert

Pin
Tweet
Share

Comments

    • Thanks, Sue. Thankfully I had some leftover meringues from making this so I can still enjoy some more 🙂

      Reply

  16. The classic Eton mess with whipped cream is gorgeous and delicious but the yogurt (drained overnight) is really close especially if you add some vanilla sugar to the yogurt. 🙂

    Reply

  17. My aunts fell in love with Eton mess when they were visiting Ireland. I should make this for them! (Of course I’d love a taste too!)

    Reply

    • Thanks I agree – with this one it’s an unconfirmed rumor, but a fun one. And it’s delicious either way!

      Reply

  24. I can completely see why it would be a hit! I know I would love it. Anytime you add heavy cream to the picture it becomes a decadent delight!

    Reply

    • Thanks, the cream definitely helps make it that bit more decadent, but actually for me the fruit and meringue are so good in there too.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More on Caroline’s Cooking

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Meta