Eton mess recipe & Best of Eton(England) Tourism

Eton mess recipe

Serves:6

Prep time:5 mins

Skill level:Easy peasy

This classic Eton mess recipe is so simple. Eton mess is one of the easiest desserts to rustle up, made with broken meringues, strawberries and cream, it's everyone's favourite pudding. You'll want to make our Eton mess recipe over and over again - it really couldn't be easier and takes a total of 10 minutes to make, which means it's great for when you're having friends over. It gets it's name as it is the dessert traditionally served at Eton College's prize-giving picnic on June 4th. For a speedy pud, use ready made meringues, but if you fancy a challenge, you can make your own! This recipe makes 6 portions and shouldn't break the bank to make either. If you want to add more fruit to the mix, go for it! We'd recommend raspberries, blackberries or blueberries. A drizzle of port, kirsch or Cointreau will turn this summer dessert into an adult-only version.

You could try using different berries like raspberries, blueberries or a combination of fruits

Ingredients

·         6 ready-made meringues

·         570ml double cream (or use half Greek yogurt for a healthier version)

·         450g strawberries, washed and hulled

·         75 ml port, kirsch or Cointreau (optional, for a more grown-up version)

Method

1.      Cut the strawberries in half or into thick slices if they're big. Place in a bowl with the port, kirsch or Cointreau if using, cover and chill for 2-3 hrs.

2.    Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, then fold in the berries and juices.

3.    Crush the meringues and fold into the strawberry and cream mixture.

4.    Spoon the Eton mess into individual dishes. If you like, you can decorate with extra strawberries.

Nutritional information

Guideline Daily Amount for 2,000 calories per day are: 70g fat, 20g saturated fat, 90g sugar, 6g salt.

Best of Eton(England) Tourism

Windsor and Eton  are twin towns, in Berkshire, in the South East of England, separated by the River Thames and joined by Windsor Bridge.

Windsor is an ancient town most famous for its castle, construction of which began in 1075, and which is the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world. The royal standard flies from the keep of the Castle when the Queen is in residence.

Eton is a smaller town, dominated by Eton College, the ancient public (US English:private) school which educates many of England's establishment (especially those who go on to become politicians, judges and diplomats).

"Eton is often the forgotten sibling of Windsor, just a short walk away across the Thames on the Berkshire bank. But the visitors who take the time to cross the river to Eton find an attractive town dotted with fine historic buildings." 

Eton College 

The chief attraction is, of course, the famous public school, founded in 1440 by Henry VI. The original name of the school was "The King’s College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor", and it was meant to provide scholars for King's College, Cambridge, which Henry established in the following year. The original student body was made up of 70 poor students who lived at the school, and were educated for free, and several paying students who lived in the town itself. To fund the school Henry gave it several holy relics and, perhaps more practically, large grants of land.

The extensive building that Henry envisaged for Eton chapel would have made it one of the largest and finest in the country, but when Henry was ousted by Edward IV Eton suffered the loss of much of its property, and building on the church ceased. Bishop Waynflete came to the rescue, however, and provided funds to finish the choir and add the antechapel. The finished structure is a wonderful example of the Perpendicular Gothic style. 

The remainder of the school buildings were added over the course of the next several centuries, notably Lupton’s Chapel, finished in 1515. Today Eton is home to over 1300 students. The school buildings can be visited when school is not in session; check the school's own website for current information on visiting details. I do recommend exploring the college briefly even if the buildings are not open; it is great fun to see the rambling collection of historic architecture with its ecclectic mix of buildings from several time periods - and to see the Etonian schoolboys bustling about in their traditional morning coats.

Eton High Street

To get to Eton from Windsor you have to cross over Windsor Bridge, built in 1822 to replace a timber bridge dating back to 1170. A toll on bridge traffic was payable until the 19th century, but modern visitors can stroll freely across the Thames! 

From the north side of the bridge follow the High Street through the centre of historic Eton. In so doing you are following beside the route taken by royal processions between Westminster and Windsor. The most famous of these processions was the funeral of Jane Seymour in 1537. Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII, is buried in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. 

Its a pleasant stroll down High Street; it takes no more than 10 minutes to reach the College, and along the way you pass several interesting historic buildings. Here are a few highlights: 

At No 84-85 is the Crown and Cushion Inn, built in 1600 and an inn since 1753. 

The Cockpit 
The oldest building on Eton High Street, an attractive 15th century timber-framed inn, now the Tiger Garden Restaurant. We don't know exactly when it was built, but it is mentioned in documentary evidence from 1465 when it was owned by Thomas Jourdelay, an early benefactor of Eton College. In 1508 the building was purchased by St George's College, across the river in Windsor. In the 17th century the building was used as a popular inn named the Adam and Eve. An outhouse behind the inn was used as an abattoir, and it retains its knuckle-bone floor. In the 20th century this floor was mistakenly presumed to be a medieval cockpit, hence the common name given to the inn. It was never (as far as we know) a cockpit, but the name took hold and won't let go! 

Beside the Cockpit is a red letterbox, dating to 1854. This is one of the earliest of the familiar letterbox designs still in use. 

Turks Head Court 
Across the road from The Cockpit is Turks Head Court, an attractive timber-framed building with a passage through the centre. If you duck through the passage you can see a row of pretty cottages on either side of a narrow lane - timber-framed, whitewashed on the left and red brick on the right. 

Porny's plaque 
Just a bit further along is a simple brick building with matching red doors flanking a green-painted central double door (currently the Eton Ex Service Men's Club). A plaque above the door reminds us that this building and the adjoining school was established by Mark Antony Porny, a French Master at Eton College until his death in 1802. Porny's real name was Antoine Pyron de Martre; Porny being an English mangling of his birth name. 
On the west side of the street you pass the Christopher Hotel, a former coaching inn which dates to 1511. 

St John the Evangelist Church 
On the west side of High Street, down a treed path, is St John's church, built to a Victorian Gothis design in 1852. Only a small chapel on the upper floor is used for religious services today; the remainder is used as a doctor's surgery, and the Eton College Sanitorium. 

Barnes Pool Bridge 
Just before you reach the college you pass over a small iron bridge almost without realising it. There has been a bridge here since the 13th century; the current iteration is wrought-iron, built in the 19th century. Barnes Pool is a backwater of the Thames, and has been a popular location to paint the college for centuries. 
Visiting Eton 
I loved exploring Eton; certainly the college gets pride of place, but the High Street is well worth a slow ramble, and as an added bonus it is likely to be far less crowded than Windsor across the river!

About Eton 
Address: Eton, Berkshire, England
Attraction Type: Town 
Location map 
OS: SU966 777 

Visitor information

Contact the Royal Windsor Information Centre for further information on attractions, events, places to stay and things to do.  +44 1753 743900.