Have a flippin’ great pancake day!

Why pancakes?

Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the day before Lent, which is traditionally a period of fasting and clearing out your cupboards of things such as sugar and butter. Pancakes are a quick and easy way of using up these ingredients, which is why this Tuesday has now become known as Pancake Day.

This year, Pancake Day takes place on Tuesday 1 March, but why wait until then? Pancakes provide delicious breakfasts, desserts or even main meals. We love them so much, we’ve concentrated all our efforts to find the best pancake recipe, and we think we’ve cracked it. Not only delicious, this is an easy pancake recipe the kids can have fun getting involved with as well.

How to make pancakes

Now for the fun part, making the mix!

So, without further ado, here’s how to make the perfect pancakes:

• 220g/8oz soft plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 pint milk
• 50g/2oz butter
• Pinch of salt

1. Sift the flour into your mixing bowl, making sure to keep the sieve quite high above the bowl so the flour gets a good airing. Add the salt.
2. Break your eggs into a cup or bowl. Make a ‘well’ in the centre of the flour and pour the eggs into it.
3. Give the mixture a good whisk. Use a spatula to make sure you get all the flour from the edges of the bowl.
4. Slowly start to add the milk, a bit at a time, whisking all the while. Keep adding the milk and whisking until the mixture is smooth and has reached the consistency of single cream. Leave to rest.
5. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan (or try a very low heat in the microwave) and then spoon 2 tablespoons into your pancake mixture. Put the butter aside – you’ll need this to grease the pan before each pancake.
6. Make sure the pan is hot and then add 2 tablespoons of the pancake mixture.
7. As soon as the mixture touches the pan, tip the pan from side to side so that the batter completely covers the base of the pan.
8. Once the edges of your pancake start to look dry and bubbles start to form, it’s time to see if its ready to flip – carefully lift the edge of the pancake.
9. Once the pancake is golden on both sides and cooked through, it’s ready to eat!

Top tips for flipping

• If you can see it’s starting to look golden underneath, then it’s time to flip! If not wait a few more minutes and check again.
• Use the spatula to loosen the pancake from the base and check it can move freely without tearing.
• Tip the pancake to the edge of the pan and three, two, one… flip! Do the same action you would when making a stir-fry with a wok – it’s all in flick of the wrist.

More recipe ideas:

• For American style thick pancakes simply add a teaspoon of baking power to the mix with the flour. They'll rise when you cook them, we like these as mini pancakes so you can cook a couple in the pan at once!
• How about adding some fruit to the mix itself. Pop fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter and fry as normal

Power up your toppings

Now your batch of pancakes are ready it’s time to power them up with tasty toppings for all the family:

• Go classic with lemon and sugar
• Choctastic with chocolate sauce
• Banana and hazelnut chocolate spread is a great combo
• Fresh and fruity with strawberries

Get creative with the kids and use fruit to make faces on top of the pancake – the most fun way to get their five a day!

If you’ve opted for an American style mix, go savoury with streaky bacon and lashings of maple syrup? Or how about a savoury pancake with grated cheese and ham?

On Pancake Day, the time shared is far more important than the food. No one really minds if the batter is a little lumpy or if the pancakes aren’t completely perfect – what everyone remembers is the fun you all have messing up the kitchen, gathering around the table and getting stuck in.

Handy tips for the perfect pancake

However you top your pancakes, follow these tips for fool-proof pancakes every time:

• Don’t overmix your pancake batter. If you do, you’ll develop the gluten which will make for tough pancakes.
• Resting the pancake batter in the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking will give you lighter pancakes.
• Use a ladle to measure out the batter into the pan for evenly-sized pancakes.
• You can freeze cooked pancakes. Once cooled, layer them flat with sheets of greaseproof paper in between. Then just slide the stack into a freezer bag and pop in the freezer. To use, thaw in the fridge, then reheat in a frying pan, making sure they’re piping hot.