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Classic Eton Mess

Classic Eton mess, a still from its video, with the channel name and the recipe title in text across it

By Tom · Updated

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  • Serves 4
  • About 2 hours 25 min
  • Easy

Eton Mess is one of Britain's most loved desserts - crisp meringue, fresh strawberries, strawberry sauce and soft Chantilly cream. Simple, and, of course, a little bit messy.

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The recipe

Classic Eton Mess

Eton Mess is one of Britain's most loved desserts - crisp meringue, fresh strawberries, strawberry sauce and soft Chantilly cream.

  • Serves 4
  • 15 min prep
  • 2 hours cooking
  • 10 min hands-off
  • Easy

Times and difficulty are our estimates from the method, not stopwatch figures.

Scale
4 servings
Measurements

Ingredients

Meringue

Strawberry sauce

Chantilly cream

To assemble

Tick things off as you go — they stay ticked if you close the page.

A dotted underline means the amount has been rounded to something you can measure.

Method

  1. Step 1

    Meringue: Preheat the oven to 100°C Fan / 120°C conventional. Whisk the egg whites (2 whites) to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar, whisking until thick, glossy and the sugar has dissolved. Mix in the vanilla (½ tsp). Spoon or pipe onto a lined baking tray and bake for 1½-2 hours, until completely crisp. Turn off the oven and leave to cool completely.

  2. Step 2

    Strawberry sauce: Add the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, until softened and juicy. Blend until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve. Leave to cool.

  3. Step 3

    Strawberries: Hull the strawberries and cut into bite-sized pieces, keeping a few whole or halved for finishing.

  4. Step 4

    Chantilly cream: Whip the cream, icing sugar (30 g) and vanilla (½ tsp) together until soft peaks form. Don't over-whip - it should remain soft and spoonable.

  5. Step 5

    Assemble: Roughly break the meringue into uneven pieces. Layer the meringue, strawberries, Chantilly cream and strawberry sauce in a bowl or serving glasses. Gently fold together, keeping some larger pieces intact. Finish with extra strawberries, meringue, cream and strawberry sauce. Serve immediately.

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Questions people ask

How long does classic eton mess take?

About 2 hours 25 min from start to finish: 15 min of prep, 2 hours of cooking, and 10 min hands-off while it waits. That figure is worked out from the method rather than timed with a stopwatch, so give yourself a little more the first time.

How many does it serve, and can I change that?

As written it serves 4. Use the scale control on the recipe card to change it: every quantity in the ingredients and inside the method steps updates with it. Seasoning, and anything measured in pinches or splashes, is deliberately left alone.

Can I see the ingredients in ounces and pints?

Yes. The metric and imperial switch on the recipe card converts every quantity, rounded to amounts you can actually weigh or measure rather than to four decimal places. Your choice is remembered for every recipe on the site.

Is it vegetarian?

Yes, as written. If you are cooking for a strict vegetarian, the one to check is the cheese: several hard cheeses are made with animal rennet.