Eton mess is a British dessert traditionally associated with Eton College and made with meringue, strawberries, and cream.
The dessert is usually assembled by combining crushed meringue with whipped cream and strawberries. Its intentionally irregular appearance gives it the word “mess,” while the contrasting textures provide the dish’s appeal. Other berries can appear in modern variations, but strawberries are the classic fruit.
Eton mess has long been served at the annual cricket match between Eton College and Harrow School. A popular story says the dessert resulted from a pavlova being crushed by a dog, but that anecdote is generally treated as folklore rather than established origin history.
Eton mess is related to fruit fools and pavlova, yet it is not the same dessert. A fool folds fruit into sweetened custard or cream, while pavlova is usually presented as a whole meringue dessert with a crisp shell and soft center.