We love being British. There is something about the quirks and humour of our funny little island that make us tick. One of which is Pancake day or Shrove Tuesday, a day established back in 1445 and is still celebrated today in the form of making, flipping and eating pancakes!
Traditionally, it was a feast day for Anglo-Saxon Christians before the start of lent, a time of 40 days of fasting leading up to Easter. People would head off to confession on this day to be ‘shriven’ or absolved from their sins before having one final feast, and pancakes were the perfect way to use up the eggs and fats before fasting.
A British pancake unlike our American counterparts, is a very thin, flat cake made of batter and fried in a frying pan and served with lemon juice and caster sugar. The pancake has a very long history and featured in cookery books as far back as 1439, with the tradition of tossing or flipping them almost as old:
“And every man and maide doe take their turne, And tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne.”
(Pasquil’s Palin, 1619).
Why are we telling you this? Simply because being British is what we’re about, and we’re proud of the quirks and eccentricities of our little isle. Also, let’s face it, pancakes are delicious… so why not join us this February 25th in celebrating a day of British foible, and flip a pancake on us.
RECIPE:
100g plain flour
2 large eggs
300ml milk
1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil, plus a little extra for frying
Lemon wedges, to serve (optional)
Caster sugar, to serve (optional)
METHOD:
- Put 100g plain flour, 2 large eggs, 300ml milk, 1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil and a pinch of salt into a bowl or large jug, then whisk to a smooth batter.
- Set aside for 30 mins to rest if you have time or start cooking straight away.
- Set a medium frying pan or crêpe pan over a medium heat and carefully wipe it with some oiled kitchen paper.
- When hot, cook your pancakes for 1 min on each side until golden, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go.
