Eton mess is a traditional English dessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries or other berries, meringue, and whipped cream.

[1] First mentioned in print in 1893, it is commonly believed to originate from Eton College and is served at the annual cricket match against the pupils of Harrow School.

[2] Eton mess was served in the 1930s in the school's "sock shop" (tuck shop), and was originally made with either strawberries or bananas mixed with ice-cream or cream.

[5][6] An Eton mess can be made with many other types of summer fruit,[7] but strawberries are regarded as more traditional.

[citation needed] The word mess may refer to the appearance of the dish,[5] or may be used in the sense of "a quantity of food", particularly "a prepared dish of soft food" or "a mixture of ingredients cooked or eaten together".