• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Rosanna ETC logo
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • About
  • Writing portfolio and press
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Media
  • Ebooks
  • About
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Travel
    • Media
    • Ebooks
    • About
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Blog posts by Rosanna ETC » Food » Summer Recipes

    Traditional Eton Mess With Crunchy Meringue

    Published: Aug 22, 2021 · Modified: Dec 12, 2021 by Rosanna Stevens · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Eton Mess is on the menu! And no, an Eton Mess is not Prince Harry after a few tequilas. An easy Eton Mess recipe is a summer essential for warmer weather and it is one of the simplest summer desserts to make.

    Eton Mess is made from crunchy, light meringue, whipped double cream and sweet summer berries. You pile it high and mash it all together and it makes a dish that might not look neat, but certainly looks appetizing. It is one of the best summer dinner party desserts, is picnic-friendly and is very easy to make in advance. This easy Eton Mess recipe can be assembled quickly at the last minute and meringue can also be frozen if you want to prepare really far ahead of time.

    As the story goes, Eton Mess was always served at the annual summer cricket match between British schools Eton and Harrow. Apparently, it dates back to the 1890s and I am not surprised it has stuck around so long given how delicious it is.

    Eton Mess is one of those traditional British foods that everyone has to try, especially on summer days. Here is my easy Eton Mess recipe that breaks it down into step by step instructions.

    Easy Eton Mess recipe
    An easy Eton Mess recipe is a summer essential

    Easy Eton Mess Recipe

    Ingredients

    Eton Mess ingredients
    • Strawberries
    • White caster sugar
    • Egg whites
    • Double cream

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Preheat the oven to 120 C / 250 F and line a large oven tray with baking paper.

    Separate the egg whites from the yolks being very careful not to get any yolk at all in the white. Even one speck of egg yolk will render it useless. Use leftover egg yolks to make ice cream or a bearnaise sauce at a later date.

    Put the egg whites in a bowl and whisk until they turn white and form soft peaks. This may take a few minutes, so keep going! You will really need an electric whisk.

    Now, a small bit at a time, add the sugar whilst continuing to whisk. The egg white/sugar mixture should become silky, opaque white and glossy and once it is all combined turn off the whisk.

    Spoon the mixture onto the lined baking tray in six blobs and use the tip of the spoon to swirl them into little mounds with a peak.

    Spoon the meringue for the Eton mess onto a tray in small nests

    Place in the oven and bake for one hour until they have a crisp outer shell and are lightly browned.

    Turn the oven off and allow the meringues to cool whilst still inside it. This lets them dry out really well, it's a great tip I picked up from my mum. Once they are cool, take them out and either keep them in an airtight container or serve them immediately.

    Meanwhile, make your fresh strawberry sauce.

    Put half the strawberries into a blender with 3 tablespoons of sugar. Blend until smooth and then sieve to get rid of the pips.

    Then, pour your double cream into a bowl and whisk it until it thickens up.

    Slice your berries and put them in a bowl.

    Now, you can either make one giant Eton Mess by adding the meringue, cream and berries to a large dish or bowl and smashing it all together. Or, you keep it all separate and allow people to make their own which I personally think is more fun.

    Eton Mess dessert in a glass bowl
    Et voila, a delicious Eton Mess

    Hint: The trick with making meringue is to whisk the egg whites until they are solid enough to not fall out of the bowl if you tip it. The old method to test this is to hold it upside down over your head, but it is a risky move...

    Substitutions

    The great thing about an Eton Mess is that you can put your own twist on it. Here are a few options for changing up this easy Eton Mess recipe that I like to do on occasion.

    • Lighter - instead of double cream, use plain yoghurt for a lighter and more tangy dessert
    • Winter - If making this dessert in winter time, try it with tangerines instead

    Variations

    • Berry blast - Use other summer fruits like raspberries and blueberries
    • Deluxe - add some shaved white chocolate curls on top

    Equipment for easy Eton Mess recipe

    You will need an electric hand whisk, or a stand mixer to make the meringue and the whipped cream.

    I definitely feel the benefits of using a counter-based stand mixer as it means you can get on with other things at the same time! This is the one I use and it has other attachments you can get too, it's a great all-rounder.

    Storage

    Store the cream and eggs in the fridge before making this recipe. Once cooked, the meringues will keep for up to three weeks if kept in an airtight container, and you can also freeze them. The Eton Mess is best eaten straight away, if you have any components left over, keep them in the fridge separately.

    Top tip

    Don't use cartons of ready-separated egg whites to make meringue, it never whisks as well and just doesn't taste the same.

    East Eton Mess Recipe

    Easy Eton Mess Recipe

    Eton Mess is a quintessentially Britsh summertime dessert with strawberries, cream and meringues
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 2 hrs
    Total Time 2 hrs 30 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 440 kcal

    Equipment

    • Stand mixer
    • Baking tray
    • Greaseproof paper

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 3 Egg whites (large)
    • 175 grams Granulated sugar (caster)
    • 3 tbsp Icing sugar
    • 500 ml Double cream
    • 600 grams Strawberries

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 120 C / 250 F and line a tray with baking paper.
    • Separate the egg whites from the yolks being very careful not to get any yolk at all in the white.
    • Put the egg whites in a bowl or stand mixer and whisk for several minutes until they turn white and form soft peaks
    • Now, a small bit at a time, add the 150 grams of caster sugar whilst continuing to whisk. The mixture should become opaque white and glossy and once it is all combined turn off the whisk.
    • Spoon the mixture onto the lined baking tray in six blobs and use the tip of the spoon to swirl them into little mounds with a peak.
      Spoon the meringue nmixture onto a lined baking tray
    • Place in the oven and bake for one hour until they have a crisp outer shell and are lightly browned.
    • Turn the oven off and allow the meringues to cool whilst still inside it so they can completely dry out. Once they are cool, take them out and either keep them in an airtight container or serve them immediately.
    • To make the strawberry sauce, blend half the strawberries with the 3 tablespoon sugar until smooth, and then sieve to remove the pips.
    • Whisk the cream until it is thick
    • Slice the remaining strawberries.
    • To make the Eton Mess, place the meringues, strawberries, cream and sauce into a bowl and mix together. Or, serve separetly and allow guetss to make their own

    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. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 440kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 4gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 58mgPotassium: 241mgFiber: 2gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 1237IUVitamin C: 59mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword Eton Mess
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Food safety

    We sometimes take for granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.

    • Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
    • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
    • Wash hands after touching raw meat
    • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave cooking food unattended
    • Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
    • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

    More Summer Recipes

    • Broad Bean Dip (Healthy Summer Snacks)
    • Balsamic Caprese Salad
    • Easy Asparagus Tart With Comte Cheese
    • How to make Pimms

    Share this post

    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Rosanna Stevens opening a bottle of champagne.

    Hi!

    I'm Rosanna, a trained chef, published writer and food and style fanatic. I believe in using food and drink to make every day an event with fresh and seasonal produce, wine pairings and a perfectly styled plate.

    I write for publications in the UK, USA and Central America on food, travel and the destinations I love and have also created several recipe ebooks and Stop The Scroll, a beginner's guide to food styling and photography. Thanks for being here!

    Learn more about me →

    Summer Recipes

    • Mango Macarons
    • Heirloom Tomato Salad With Hot Honey And Feta
    • Raspberry Ice Cream Bars With White Chocolate & Almond
    • Vodka Greyhound Frozen Cocktail Popsicles

    Trending recipes

    • Smoked Mackerel Croquettes With Beetroot Puree
    • Asparagus Mousse Amuse Bouche
    • Asparagus And Crispy Prosciutto Quiche
    • Easy Salmon En Croute With Dill Cream Sauce

    As seen in

    as seen in the media

    Download your free guide to what's in season

      We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.
      Built with ConvertKit

      Check out my ebook

      Front cover of Stop the Scroll

      Featured posts

      • Cheesy Beer Soup With Cheddar And Crispy Bacon
      • Spicy Biscuits With Parmesan Cheese
      • Easy Salmon En Croute With Dill Cream Sauce
      • Lazy Gnocchi Al Forno With Homemade Sauce
      • Recipes
      • Travel
      • About
      • Writing portfolio and press

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      About

      • About me

      Newsletter

      • Sign up

      Contact

      • Contact

      View privacy policy

      This site uses affiliate links

      Copyright © 2022 Rosanna ETC

      Manage Cookie Consent
      To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
      Functional Always active
      The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
      Preferences
      The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
      Statistics
      The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
      Marketing
      The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
      Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
      View preferences
      {title} {title} {title}
      Manage Cookie Consent
      To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
      Functional Always active
      The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
      Preferences
      The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
      Statistics
      The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
      Marketing
      The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
      Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
      View preferences
      {title} {title} {title}