As the great British summer is well underway, you don’t need an excuse to load up on the strawberries and cream. After all, Wimbledon wouldn’t be the same without this signature British dessert, regardless of how the tennis plays out on the court! One of the most indulgent ways to enjoy strawberries and cream at home is to rustle up a delightful Eton mess, which is the archetypal British summer dessert. To help you, we’ve put together this super simple – yet utterly delicious – recipe that you can get started with this summer.
What you need
The beauty of Eton mess undoubtedly lies in its simplicity. You only need a handful of ingredients to make this delightful British classic for your family, and you won’t believe how good it tastes. So, to ensure your Eton mess is truly mouthwatering, here are the ingredients you need to pick up:
- 500g strawberries – remove the hulls and opt for locally grown fruits where possible, as they will taste that little bit better!
- 400ml double cream.
- 4 small ready-made meringue nests, crushed (you can make your own if you prefer, but buying them ready saves so much time and effort).
- 1 tbsp elderflower cordial.
- A few sprigs of fresh mint picked from the garden.
How to make it
Although it looks complicated, throwing an Eton mess together is actually super simple, and you don’t need a great deal of ingredients. So, once you have everything together, here are the steps you need to follow to rustle up a summer dessert to remember:
- Select four wine glasses or small glass bowls and place them in the fridge to chill. It’s best to do this the night before, if you remember, so the glasses are chilled to perfection.
- Rinse the strawberries and remove the hulls. Add half of the strawberries to a blender and puree, and chop the other half and leave them to one side.
- Begin whisking the double cream into stiff peaks before folding in the strawberry puree and crushed meringue. This will take several minutes, and you need to be patient. Once you have the right consistency, fold in the chopped flowers and elderflower cordial until everything is blended nicely together.
- Once you’re happy with your mixing, spoon equal amounts of Eton mess into your chilled wine glasses or glass bowls.
- Finish by decorating them with a spring of mint and some chopped strawberries, and they’re good to go!
Other ways to enjoy strawberries in the summer
While Eton mess is a tad indulgent and a little bit naughty, it’s a family favourite that will be super popular with the kids. However, it’s not the only way to make use of fresh strawberries throughout the summer months. You can add these delicious berries to your favourite smoothie and enjoy their antioxidant properties and various other health benefits. You might also consider rustling up a healthy strawberry shake, which you can enjoy as a morning or afternoon snack. Ultimately, no matter how you enjoy these delicious fruits, it’s important to make the most of them during the summer months when they’re nice and fresh.
All that’s left for you to do is to prepare yourself a jug of Pimms (plus strawberries, of course) before tuning into the tennis at Wimbledon or the cricket at Lords for a quintessential British summer.