The Delight of Eton Mess is in the Strawberries

Strawberries have long been a key ingredient in classic British summer foods, such as Eton Mess or the summer pudding. Also, what could be better for a summer’s day than a bowl of strawberries drizzled in cream or strawberries dipped in dark, bitter chocolate served with dessert and coffee?

Eton Mess, a sweet variation on ordinary strawberries and cream, is traditionally enjoyed at the June 4 awards day picnic by parents and students of 567 year old Eton College, England’s oldest prep school. It’s easy to make and it’s called Eton Mess because it looks like…well, a mess actually. Get in the spirit of English summertime with this traditional strawberries and cream dessert.

Serves 4 to 6

Prep: 10 min plus chilling

800g fresh ripe strawberries
Kirsch, berry liqueur or Cointreau to taste
1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
200g fresh cream for whipping
200g thick Greek-style yoghurt
6 plain meringues or meringue shells

METHOD

Wash and dry the strawberries, then hull them. If they are large, cut in half or cut into thick slices. Place all but 200g of strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with 2tbsp of liqueur. Dust with icing sugar and chill for an hour or two.

Whiz the remaining 200g of berries into a purée, adding a dash of liqueur to taste, and chill.

Whip the cream lightly, fold in the yoghurt, and chill. Roughly crush the meringues into bite-sized pieces.

When you are ready to serve, gently toss the cream, meringue and strawberries and pile the lot into a glass bowl. Drizzle with the strawberry purée. Toss once and then serve. Place the cream mixture into a 7″ trifle or glass serving dish, top with the strawberry pieces, chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator and sprinkle with the confectioners/icing sugar before serving. Alternately serve in individual size dessert bowl or glasses.

We’d love to see the pictures of your version of Eton Mess – just for fun! Please feel free to post them on our Facebook page.