Whipped cream folded with crushed meringue and macerated strawberries until ragged. The British summer pudding: assembled in 5 minutes, eaten before the meringue softens.
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.
6 editor picks for Eton mess in London, ranked by editorial score. All London signature dishes · Eton mess across every city.
St John ★ 4.8
clerkenwell · 26 St John Street, London EC1M 4AY
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.
Sketch ★ 4.7
mayfair · 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG
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.
Spring ★ 4.3
covent-garden · Somerset House, Lancaster Place, London WC2R 1LA
Skye Gyngell's Modern European dining room inside the New Wing of Somerset House in central London, opened 2014, runs vegetable-led seasonal cooking.
The Wolseley ★ 4.1
mayfair · 160 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EB
Chris Corbin and Jeremy King's grand European brasserie on Piccadilly in London, opened 2003 in a former 1921 Wolseley showroom, runs from breakfast.
The Ritz ★ 4.1
mayfair · 150 Piccadilly, London W1J 9BR
The Ritz Piccadilly dining room in Mayfair London, opened 1906 in Cesar Ritz's hotel, holds one Michelin star and runs classical French cooking.
Rules ★ 4.0
covent-garden · 34-35 Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7LB
Britain's oldest restaurant on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 1798 by Thomas Rule, runs an estate-game-led menu through grouse.