Formally known as Fat Tuesday, the tradition of feasting before the beginning of Lent dates back to 1000 AD, and in this year will fall on Tuesday the 8th of March. Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, notes the last days before the season of fasting and prayer, known as Lent, and is a time of celebration before the hard work of confessional can begin.
While we celebrate with batter, other countries mark the day with the ever-colourful Mardi Gras which of course translates from French to ‘Fat Tuesday’. However, while other continents may appear more vibrant than the traditional British celebrations, there’s no rule against livening up those soggy old pancakes.
Take a look at a few of these Shrove Tuesday-related ideas, and see if your March 8th results in more than a flat Yorkshire pudding.
Horsham Charity Pancake Race – 8th March 2011
Local businesses and organisations are invited to enter teams to participate in this charity race (preferably in fancy dress). Kicking off at noon, teams of four take part in a relay race over 80 metres, with prizes for the winners, the best fancy dress, and the winning charity team.
Entries can be taken on the Visit Horsham website to The Rotary Club of Horsham, with a fee of £25.
Pancake Olympics, Worthing – Saturday 5th March
Run by Worthing Churches Homeless Project in aid of four local charities, the Worthing Pancake Olympics sees teams combat obstacle courses while attempting to flip pancakes. Pop down at 12 o’clock on the Saturday, and help raise some money for a few good causes.
Pancake Recipes
Pancake Day wouldn’t be Pancake Day without a few charred bits of batter, so why not give some of these pancake recipes a go?
Delia’s Basic Pancakes
• 110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
• 50g/2oz butter
Holding the sieve high above the bowl, sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Crack the eggs into the middle of the flour and whisk, slowly bringing the flour in from the edges.
Gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mix, whisking continuously, and then use a spatula to make sure you scoop all of the flour from the edges of the bowl. Whisk until all of the lumps have disappeared – there’s nothing worse than biting into a chunk of flour!
Heat a lump of butter (real butter – none of that low fat stuff!) in a frying pan until hot, making sure you don’t burn it. Then add enough batter to cover the pan, making sure it isn’t too thick – use a ladle and around two tablespoons of batter, this should be enough for an 18cm frying pan.
Now comes the fun part – the flipping! Of course, if you’re not brave enough, use a palette knife to turn the pancake once it’s golden brown on the bottom. However, half the point of pancakes is the danger of it sticking to your ceiling, so give it a go. Once it has been turned, don’t leave it for too long or it’ll burn, and then serve with whatever accompaniment takes your fancy…
If lemon and sugar seems a bit of a safe option, why not try the American special of bacon and maple syrup? Or Mr Jamie Oliver has a fail proof (don’t hold me to that) idea of apple and cinnamon pancakes – just grate one apple into your batter, and add a teaspoon of cinnamon powder. Then serve with more cinnamon and some golden syrup – an absolute treat! Pancakes are easy to experiment with - drop some blueberries into your mix, or chop some banana and walnuts to top it all off with. Be brave!
Perhaps you don't have so much of a sweet tooth? There are bundles of ideas for savoury pancakes, it's easy to do more than grate some cheese and add some ham, why not fry some onions and mushrooms, and add baby spinach for a delicious savoury treat?
Whatever you do, make sure you've enough batter to allow for a few cremated first attempts, and try something new!