Pancake Day

When we were children, ‘Shrove Tuesday’, known to many as ‘Pancake Day’ was a key event on the calendar – even now we’ve grown up, little has changed. We would have pancakes during the day at school, pancakes at Brownies after school and even more pancakes when we came home later that evening, when it was Mum’s turn to join in on the fun. We would embark on a traditional pancake race down the road, a flipping competition on who could get their's the highest and back in the pan in one piece, though on many occasion, they seldom made it down and pray victim to the surface of the ceiling, which to Dad’s annoyance who was often brought in to salvage them.

My first ever  pancake race -  with my pancake still intact, definitely think I was in the lead here!

Pancake Day wouldn’t be Pancake Day without a flipping competition and several rounds of delicious pancakes coated in lemon and sugar. I know people are partial to a variety of toppings including Nutella, caramel sauce, maple syrup, chocolate sauce with some fresh fruit thrown on to make it slightly moral, though for as long as I can remember, I have always eaten mine with the traditional lemon and sugar.

Shrove Tuesday marks the day preceding ‘Ash Wednesday’ – the beginning of lent. Whereby Christian tradition goes, we are meant to give up something we love for 40 days and 40 nights - I can now understand the reason behind the mountain of toppings acquired on my sisters pancakes, these were things they were ‘giving up’ the next day, though they seldom succeeded to last the entire course of lent. The term ‘Shrove Tuesday’ comes from the word ‘shrive’ which means ‘confess’ – the last day of freedom before fasting.

Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday because people would use up all their rich foods, such as eggs, milk and sugar before the beginning of lent and thereby during the 12^th century the recipe was formed. Once upon a time, the British people were granted half a day’s holiday during this celebration, which was marked when the church bells were rung at 11am and the infamous pancake races in villages and towns across the country begun. Nowadays, this part of the tradition is known as wishful thinking!

Pancake Day is a brilliant opportunity to bring together family and friends and host an evening of traditional races, flipping and indulgence. Everybody has to bring with them an ingredient, a topping of their choice and of course, a frying pan to participate in the competition. A lot of fun can be had from such an event and it’s a great way of marking the ‘last supper’ so to speak, before the dreaded first day of lent embarks.

To help you along your way, here is a basic pancake recipe to put you in good stead to hosting the perfect pancake party:

Makes 12-14, 7inch pancakes (10 in an 8inch pan)

Ingredients

110g plain flour

2 large eggs

200ml milk

70ml water

Pinch of salt

50g butter

Method

• In a large mixing bowl, sieve the flour and salt
• Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the eggs
• Whisk together until all the flour has been incorporated
• Gradually add the water and milk, whisking as you go
• Once all the liquid has been whisked in, make sure all the flour from around the sides of the bowl has been mixed in and then whisk once to make sure the batter is smooth
• Melt the butter in a frying pan and whisk two tablespoons into the batter and place the rest to one side in a bowl - use to lubricate the pan before making each pancake
• Make sure the pan is hot and then reduce to a medium heat – add 2 tablespoons of batter, using a ladle and tip the pan from side to side to circulate the mixture around the pan so the base of the pan is evenly coated with batter
• After 30 seconds, lift the edges using a pallet knife and flip the pancake over to cook on the other side, this should take 15 seconds only and then slide out the pan and keep in a warm place whilst you make the remaining pancakes. 

Serve warm and sprinkle with lemon and sugar.

Happy Flipping!!