Summary (by AI): I visited The George Inn in Berkshire to try a traditional Eton Mess, but I found the intense sweetness and creaminess overwhelming and plan to stick to savoury foods in the future.
Blog: Now, I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth. Consequently, I don’t really like meringue, and therefore—not unsurprisingly—I have never, as far as I can recall, had what I would call a proper Eton Mess. However, in the spirit of the ABC Tour, I decided that if I was hitting Berkshire, Eton Mess was the only choice for the letter ‘F’.
It’s the quintessential food of the county; the name is even enshrined in the dish itself. Though, as I would later discover, the "Eton" part of the history isn't quite as straightforward as you’d think.
It was a horribly cold, rainy day when I set out. I wasn't actually flying solo on this trip; one of my close friends was quite intrigued by the ABC concept and had decided to do a food-focused version of the tour herself. Naturally, her research for Berkshire led her to the same conclusion: we had to find an Eton Mess.
A quick search revealed a few pubs that serve it up (it’s a tourist mecca), and we settled on The George Inn. We met for lunch and decided to be sensible: we had a small main course ands shared the pudding. I’m very glad we did, as you will see.
Before the bowl arrived, I did a bit of digging into the history. The dish is actually quite old; it first appears in a recipe book from the late 1800s, apparently served at a banquet for Queen Victoria. But the historical version isn't exactly the "cream, meringue, and strawberry" combo we know today. Historically, it was often made with different types of fruit—bananas were common—and the meringues were actually a much more recent addition.
There’s also that famous apocryphal story about the dish's origin—the legend that a dog sat on a meringue during the famous Eton vs. Harrow cricket match, and they just served the crushed remains anyway. It’s a great image, but apparently, it isn’t true, especially since the meringue didn't even join the recipe until much later.
When our order arrived at The George, they served it in a reasonably traditional way: a massive bowl of whipped double cream with a light sprinkling of strawberries and just a small amount of meringue. As it turns out, that is the traditional ratio.
Blimey, it was full-on. The sweetness and the sheer creaminess were intense. It started off great, but by the time we were halfway through—and remember, we were sharing one portion—both of us reached our limit. We just couldn't have any more. I felt pretty queasy for a few hours afterward. I don’t think I’ve ever consciously experienced a "sugar rush" before, but I’m fairly certain I got one then.
I also learned that other places have their own versions. Lancing College has a banana-based variation traditionally known as a "Pammet," while Cambridge has the "Clare College Mush" (or sometimes "Mashing"), which their students fiercely defend as the original recipe. Everyone is very insistent that their version is the truly traditional one.
While I was there, I had a chat with the barman. It turns out The George is a bit of a celebrity spot. A few TV chefs have been through—Alan Rickman recently did a series traveling around finding traditional English foods and stopped right there. The barman told me that ever since that aired, they’ve been swamped with people, particularly Americans, coming in specifically to ask for an Eton Mess. It just goes to show the power of TV.
I’m glad I did it for the tour, but I think I’ll stick to the savoury side of the menu for a while!
The Map: