For those who follow me on social media (@TheKatiePix), you’ll know that this blog post has been whipped up in record time. Despite my years of professional experience in the food and digital industry… I forgot it was Pancake Day. One of few days in the foodie content calendar when ‘what should I write about?‘ is never a question asked.

Let ‘Fat Tuesday’ commence! The origins of eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday seems to derive from the need to eat up fatty foods before Ash Wednesday, when God-fearing folk would adhere to the Spartan and functional diets espoused by the church during Lent. A lot of people use Lent as a way of testing willpower – often giving up things like chocolate before Easter, to justify inhaling your body weight’s worth come Easter Sunday. I, for one, shall be giving up Ribena. Not a sacrifice for most, but stick around and you’ll get to know my obsession.

Here are two fundamental Pancake recipes for your repertoire…

The Classic English Crêpe

This recipe is the one most Brits will be getting stuck to the kitchen ceiling and is actually the same as Yorkshire Pudding batter. An English ‘pancake’ is marginally thicker than the beautiful French crêpe, but the same principals apply. Treat this recipe as a blank canvas to add your favourite toppings to. It’s elegant, crisp, lacy, and, unsweetened, can partner anything from fried eggs to Nutella.

INGREDIENTS

• 130g plain flour
• 250ml milk
• 3 eggs
• pinch of salt

METHOD

Mix your ingredients into a smooth batter.

Lightly oil a pan on medium heat and add a small knob of butter. Put a ladle of pancake mix into the centre of the pan and swirl the mix around to create a thin pancake.

Cook until the top of your pancake dries out and then flip.

Give it a minute or 2 to cook fully and then serve with whatever toppings you fancy – sweet or savoury!

The Good Ol’ American Stack

If you’re a fan of a thicker, more fluffy stack of pancakes, let’s take a look at our American cousins. Pile up these pancakes with fresh fruit, a dollop of crème fraîche, bacon, maple syrup… go big or go home.

INGREDIENTS

• 150g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 150ml milk
• 1 large free-range egg
• 50g butter, melted

METHOD

Mix together your ingredients until you have a smooth batter. Let the batter stand for a few minutes to give that gluten some chill time.

Lightly oil a pan on medium heat and add a small knob of butter. Put a ladle of pancake mix into the centre of the pan. It shouldn’t spread all that much, and that’s ok! Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, then turn it over and cook until both sides are golden brown and the pancake has risen.

Serve with bacon and maple syrup – it’s the only way!

Happy Pancake Day, everyone!

For toppings, tips and three more fantastic pancake recipes, check out my playlist on YouTube!