Wexford Strawberry Eton Mess

Eton Mess is one of those staple desserts that Scouts always go to on camp. They go to it for two simple reasons, Eton Mess is delicious and it is easy to make. All you need is a load of strawberries, some meringues to crumble up and a carton of cream. I mean, you can’t go wrong but you can elevate it a level by making this simple strawberry syrup!

Recently, I was in Wexford, the ancestral home of the strawberry! It’s strongly believed in the county that their strawberries are the juiciest and sweetest because Wexford gets the most sunshine in Ireland. If you’re ever in the south east of Ireland, you will not fail to see the strawberry sellers on every corner and roadside.

Mark G and I are on the Scouting Ireland Assessment Team. The team is a pool of people who volunteer to assess SI’s national events such as Venture Challenge and the Explorer Belt. I was down in Wexford assessing the recent Venture Challenge. Assessing Challenge is always hard work physically and emotionally. We spend our time measuring maps, counting up budget and checking receipts, and reading five days’ worth of “comprehensive accounts” of time spent walking. At the end of it all, we have to make the decisions which may result in young adults not being given the award. It takes a few days and after our second long day, emotions were fraught. I thought I could raise the assessment team’s spirits with a little sugar injection after dinner.

All over Wexford, there are little stands on every roadside selling strawberries. Some are little carts, some are converted shipping containers, others just sell strawberries out of their cars. I hit the road and bought some strawberries from a couple of different shops. Then I bought some cream and meringues from a garage. The only other thing I needed was sugar and, luckily, there was loads of that around camp for teas and coffees. As you can see, the Eaton Mess went down a treat with the team and we were all much happier.

Making a strawberry syrup is a great way to add a cooked element to an Eton Mess. Otherwise it’s an “assembly required” dessert made with a list of ready-made ingredients. Every time I’ve been served Eton Mess at a Scout cooking competition, I’m always eager to see how they’ve made it and if they’ve actually cooked anything.