How to make traditional eton mess and 6 twists to try

What is the story of eton mess?

The first eton mess recipe appeared in 1893. There are several origin stories, including a somewhat improbable tale about a dog sitting on a picnic basket. One of the most likely is that a chef dropped the pudding at an Eton-Harrow cricket match. Rather than throw it away, he scooped the resulting mess into a bowl. Since then, the easy dessert has become a staple of the English summer ‘season’, appearing everywhere from Ascot to Wimbledon.

What are the ingredients in eton mess?

The three ingredients in a classic eton mess are whipped cream, broken meringues and fresh strawberries.

• The cream: Use fresh, cold double cream for the best results. It takes longer to whip, becoming lighter and airier in the process; cream that’s warm or closer to its use-by date will whip faster but be heavier and duller. The cream can be lightly sweetened with a little caster sugar.
• The meringues: We love chewy meringues with a mallowy centre, but dry and crisp are the best for this scenario, providing a textural contrast to the pillowy cream.
• The strawberries: Eton mess is best made in the summer when British strawberries are at their juiciest. Use room-temperature berries and if you need to wash them, do it well in advance so they have time to dry thoroughly.

How to make meringues

It’s not essential to make your own meringues for eton mess but if you want to give them a go, here’s what you need to know…

• Meringues are made with eggs whites and caster sugar. Separate the egg whites from the yolks by cracking the egg, then gently separate the shell into two halves. Carefully tip the egg back and forth between the two shell halves, letting the white drip into the bowl but keeping the yolk in the shell.
• Avoid getting any grease or traces of egg yolk into the mixture, which will stop the egg whites from stiffening up properly. Ensure your mixing bowl is scrupulously clean and dry before you start; plastic bowls are best avoided as they can hang onto grease more easily than glass or metal.
• As a general rule, the proportion of egg white to sugar for meringue is one large egg white for every 60g sugar.
• Begin whisking the egg whites on a lower speed, to create stable bubbles, then increase the speed to bring them to soft peaks.
• Add the sugar in increments, whisking well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl (if necessary). The meringue is ready when it holds stiff peaks (that don’t flop over) and looks white and shiny. If you rub a pinch of meringue between your fingers, it shouldn’t feel grainy – indicating that all the sugar has dissolved.
• Follow our easy basic meringue recipe for the best meringues every time.

The secrets to eton mess success

• Avoid overwhipping the cream. It will stiffen up further as you stir through the other ingredients, so stop when it just starts holding soft peaks.
• Inclusions should be bite-sized. Cut the fruit to roughly the size of a large raspberry and break the meringues into brazil nut-sized chunks.
• Lightly crush half of the strawberries. This will let some of their juices run out and help flavour the dessert.
• Use a light hand when mixing the meringues and fruit into the cream. A large metal spoon works well – aim to work quickly and gently.
• Experiment with ingredients. The simple base of meringue and cream lends itself to an array of flavours. Try seasonal fruits like raspberries, gooseberries or blackcurrant. Go tropical with mango and banana or introduce coffee, toffee sauce and chocolate to the party.

How far in advance can I make eton mess?

• You can make the components of an eton mess in advance but it’s best to store them separately then mix just before serving. Homemade meringues can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
• Whip the cream up to 12 hours ahead, then store in a sealed container in the fridge and give it a quick re-whip before serving.
• If you’re whipping the cream ahead, only take it to very soft peaks (that fall over on themselves when you remove the whisk/beaters), as it will continue to firm up in the fridge.
• Remove berries from the fridge in time to bring them up to room temperature. Prepare shortly before serving.

7 delicious ways with eton mess

Classic eton mess
Meringue. Cream. Strawberries. A classic eton mess only needs these three elements to make what must be the ultimate easy summer dessert. The quality of your ingredients matter: use crisp, dry meringues, perfectly ripe British strawberries and fresh double cream. Assemble just before serving by gently folding the crushed berries and meringue pieces through the whipped cream. Spoon into bowls or glasses and enjoy.

Eton mess traybake
Those eton mess flavours work so well in a cake. Our easy eton mess traybake features a light base of strawberry and almond sponge topped with a thick layer of whipped cream. Finish by scattering over crumbled meringue, sliced strawberries and fresh mint leaves. A simple but striking bake that’s perfect for garden parties and laid-back summer gatherings.

Eton mess roulade
Looking for a dinner party dessert for midsummer nights? Take that beloved trinity of eton mess flavours and transform them into this showstopping roulade. Bake the airy vanilla sponge then fill with eton mess mixture and roll up. Decorate with icing sugar, larger meringue chunks and halved strawberries, then serve with any leftover mess on the side (well, it would be a crime for it to go to waste).

Boozy raspberry eton mess
A mess for the grown ups. This simple pud pairs the subtle, floral sweetness of raspberries with the heady flavour of cassis (a blackcurrant liqueur) to make a sophisticated coulis. Fold this boozy fruit sauce through vanilla-scented whipped cream and crisp meringue pieces. To make it alcohol-free, simply leave out the cassis.

Giant banoffee eton mess
Catering for a crowd? Bring this giant eton mess to the table for everyone to dig in. The cosy flavours of banoffee pie work brilliantly with meringue and cream. A tower of brown sugar meringues and whipped cream is drizzled with both a butterscotch sauce and a heavenly banana butterscotch and finished with a banana-choc hazelnut crumb. This impressive mess serves 6-8 people and you can make most of the components ahead.

Mango and elderflower mess
This gorgeous mango mess is one for the tropical dessert fans. Briefly marinate ripe mango slices in elderflower cordial while you whizz up a quick mango purée in the blender. Rather than mix everything together like a traditional mess, try layering up in clear glasses for a dinner party-worthy dessert. Start with a layer of the elderflower-soaked mango, followed by the whipped cream, meringue and a drizzle of purée to create contrast between the snow-white cream and the bright orange mango layers. If you’re making this in May or June, finish with a scattering of fresh elderflower blooms.

Tiramisu mess
Need a last-minute dessert that’s ready in just 10 minutes? Tiramisu mess to the rescue! This speedy tiramisu-eton mess crossover uses a mixture of double cream and Italian mascarpone. There’s no need to whip them – just beat together until smooth. Sponge fingers get a quick dip in rum or coffee liqueur to form the bottom layer of the dessert. Fold meringue pieces into the rich cream mixture, spoon on top of the sponges, then finish with a shaving of dark chocolate. Chocolate sauce and extra splash of booze optional.

For even more speedy pudding inspiration, check out our complete quick and easy dessert recipes collection.