Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day is one of those days that changes its date each year. It’s normally in February or March and marks the beginning of lent. The reason it moves is because it’s always 47 days before Easter and Easter moves. Easter’s date is something to do with the cycles of the moon but I don’t know any more than that!

Anyway, the whys and when don’t matter as much as the pancakes - yummmm, pancakes!

I gather this is a UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia thing - do you have Pancake day where you are?

The pancakes that we have here in the UK on Pancake day are similar to French crepes, just not quite so thin and delicate and they are traditionally served with lemon juice and sugar. They are SO simple to make, SO cheap and SO delicious I invite you to give them a go - wherever you are in the world.

Just in case this whole Pancake day thing is new to you, here's the basic recipe I've always used. We usually make double mix or more.

Traditional Pancake Day Recipe

Pancake Batter  - makes 12

• 8oz (225g, 1 3/4 cups) Plain Flour

• 2 x Eggs

• 1 pt Milk (any kind is fine)

You will also need:

• Cooking oil - I use sunflower, I guess a spray would be fine

• A frying pan or 2 (see tips below)

• Toppings - lemon juice, sugar, honey, syrup, jam, fresh or dried fruit, chocolate spread, chocolate sauce...

To make the batter put the flour in a bowl, crack the eggs in and add about half the milk and give it a good whisk. Add the rest of the milk and whisk well again until it is well mixed. 

How to make traditional british pancakes

• Put the batter in a jug and leave it in the fridge for a while if possible (1/2 hour minimum, 2 days maximum) but if you are in a hurry and can't wait then don't worry too much, they will still work.

• Heat a teaspoon of cooking oil in a frying pan and when it is really piping hot pour in enough batter to just cover the base of the pan. It should sizzle straight away. You have to swirl the pan with one hand as your pour with the other. You want them thin, just a couple of millimetres of mix.

• Somewhere between 30 seconds and a minute, lift the edge of the pancake with a spatula and peek at the underneath. If it's brown then your pancake is ready to toss.

• Give it a shake to make sure it's loose then hold it a little away from your body with your elbow slightly bent and flick the pan up slightly so the pancake flips over. (then pick the pancake up off the floor or unfold it in the pan, call that one practice and try again!)

• It will only need another 30 seconds to 1 minute to brown the other side and it's ready to slide onto a plate and start again with the next one

• You need to add the teaspoon of oil for each pancake, give a few seconds to get hot then pour, swirl etc as before.

Tossing pancakes is very traditional and kind of fun but if you just want to eat them it can slow you down. You might well want to just flip them over with a spatula after a while. It's perfectly alright and not cheating at all!

Hints and Tips for Pancake making

Here are a few hints that you might find helpful whilst we are on the subject.

• Get 2 pans on the go, each pancake may only take a few minutes but when you are making a heap you really do want 2 pans, unsurprisingly it then takes half the time! If you have enough space, frying pans and people helping have more than 2!

• Put your jug on a small plate so the worktop doesn't get in a mess

• You want your pan really hot before you start, but even then the first pancake will take WAY longer than the rest. You only need to adjust the heat if they start to burn. My hob is gas and I generally have it on about 3/4 of the way

• As they are ready, pile the pancakes up on a plate. You don't need to put greaseproof paper between the layers, you don't need to keep them in the oven. With 2 pans going you have another pancake ready every 60 seconds or so - they keep each other hot

• Serve them as soon as the last one slides out of the pan, you can warm them up but they are nicer when fresh

• Count them before you start so you know how many you can have each!

Personally I don't feel a proper meal is necessary before the pancakes (obviously this rule is just for a Pancake day treat!) . We have cheese and ham or chicken to make some savoury ones and then fruit options as well as chocolate spread, syrup and the traditional sugar and lemon. It's once a year and we do make A LOT of pancakes.

The traditional british way to serve pancakes

If you want to have your Shrove Tuesday pancake the proper traditional way then just pop your pancake on your plate, sprinkle about half a teaspoon of sugar (granulated or caster is fine) evenly over and then add a good splash or two of lemon juice. We use the ready to go stuff in a bottle. Roll it up then eat with your fingers or cut up with a knife and use a fork. Make sure you hold it and your mouth over the plate as it WILL drip - it's supposed to!

Otherwise just enjoy your pancakes with whatever toppings you prefer.

I found a few photos I'd shared on facebook of Pancake days gone by in our house, taken on my phone.

They are not great photos but at least you know if yours look like this then you've done it right. 

Are you tempted to have a go and join us for Pancake day?

Julie