Eton Mess: the easy, no bake dessert recipe

Eton Mess is a classic British dessert you can prepare in no time and enjoy all spring and summer long. Easy and refreshing, this recipe is packed with sweet and delicate flavors because of its 3 ingredients. Eton Mess is similar to a strawberry shortcake in glass version as it is made of crunchy meringues, juicy strawberries and soft whipped cream. The Eton Mess is so called because it is served at Eton College's annual cricket match, although it is still unclear who made it. According to a popular story, the "mess" was made by a dog when it sat on a meringue and strawberry pie enough to crush it.

How to make Eton Mess

In a large bowl, whip the cream with the sugar using electric whisk until soft but not too firm.

Break the meringues into large chunks and gently mix with the cream.

In a separate bowl, add half of the strawberries and mash them to get juice.

Add the strawberries to the bowl of cream and mix gently.

Cut the other half of the strawberries into slices.

Pour the cream into a dessert glass and garnish with the strawberry slices. Let the Eton Mess chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

Use ripe strawberries to make a sweet Eton Mess, so avoid the frozen or tinned strawberries.

You can make the Eton Mess dessert up to 2 hours before serving as the meringues will start to soften quickly.

You can also make Eton Mess from scratch by preparing the meringue cookies yourself. It's a simple recipe made with egg whites, sugar, vanilla and cream of tartar, unlike the meringue base of pavlova which also calls for cornflour and vinegar.

To customize this recipe you can substitute strawberries with red berries or rhubarb.