Whipped cream folded with crushed meringue and macerated strawberries until ragged. The British summer pudding: assembled in 5 minutes, eaten before the meringue softens.
Where to eat it: 6 restaurants across 1 city.
Eton mess first appeared in print in 1893 as the dessert served at the annual Eton vs Harrow cricket match, then a major fixture of the London Season. The original 1930s version used strawberries or bananas with ice cream or cream; the meringue addition came later in the 1950s. London's clubs and Wimbledon kept the dish alive as a quintessential summer dessert, and modern London restaurants from Rules to Spring serve seasonal versions through June and July when British strawberries (Cambridge Favourite, Wimbledon Favourite, Hapil) are at peak.
Common allergens: Dairy, Egg
Tip from the editors. Assemble within 10 minutes of serving; the dessert is named mess because that's what it becomes when meringue absorbs cream too long.
Britain's oldest restaurant on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 1798 by Thomas Rule, runs an estate-game-led menu through grouse.
Signature: Game pie, Steak and kidney pudding
Order: Game pie in season, then steamed steak and kidney pudding with mash.
Tip: Lunch is a third of dinner's price and just as well-staffed. The upstairs cocktail bar runs to 23:00 most nights.
Chris Corbin and Jeremy King's grand European brasserie on Piccadilly in London, opened 2003, runs the city's most-traditional power-breakfast crowd.
Order: Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, plus a flat white
Tip: Weekday breakfast at 07:30 is the easy slot. The weekend full English at £24 is the marquee brunch order.
Skye Gyngell's Modern European dining room inside the New Wing of Somerset House in central London, opened 2014, runs vegetable-led seasonal cooking.
Signature: Whatever spring vegetable course is on, Brown butter custard tart
Order: Whatever the spring or autumn vegetable opener is, and the brown butter custard tart for pudding.
Tip: The Scratch dinner uses kitchen offcuts to fight food waste and costs £25; the regular menu runs £55 for two courses.
The Ritz Piccadilly dining room in Mayfair London, opened 1906 in Cesar Ritz's hotel, holds one Michelin star and runs classical French cooking.
Order: Sole Veronique or the Beef Wellington carved tableside, with the cheese trolley to close.
Tip: Afternoon tea in the Palm Court is the easier reservation; dinner books 8 weeks ahead with strict dress code.
Mourad Mazouz and Pierre Gagnaire's Conduit Street dining rooms in Mayfair London, opened 2002, hold three Michelin stars in the Lecture Room and run a famed.
Order: The Pierre Gagnaire signature plate in the Lecture Room, or afternoon tea in the pink Gallery.
Tip: The Gallery serves the bistro menu and books a fortnight ahead; the three-starred Lecture Room is the eight-week wait.
Fergus Henderson's St John in Clerkenwell has cooked the nose-to-tail British canon in London since 1994. Priced at £££. Kitchen leans modern british.
Signature: Roast bone marrow and parsley salad, Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese
Order: Roast bone marrow with parsley salad and toast, then Eccles cake with Lancashire.
Tip: The bakery counter near the front sells the same Eccles cakes, doughnuts and brown loaf to take away if you can't get a booking.
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