A literal Eton Mess?
For those not familiar:
Eton mess is a traditional
English dessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries,
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tuck shop), and was originally made with either strawberries or bananas mixed with ice-cream or cream.
[3][4] Meringue was a later addition.
[5][6] An Eton mess can be made with many other types of summer fruit,
[7] but strawberries are regarded as more traditional.
Lancing mess (which uses bananas) is a similar dessert which is served throughout the year at
Lancing College in
West Sussex, England.
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".
[8]
In recent times, "Eton mess" has often been used by commentators in the media to describe political infighting within the UK
Conservative Party over issues such as
Brexit. Eton mess is used because a number of Conservative politicians were educated at Eton College.
[9][10][11]