SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE DAY The largest cooked pancake

SHROVE TUESDAY [PANCAKE DAY] The largest cooked pancake was made to celebrate the Co-operative movement 150 th anniversary. The first pancake recipe was in a cookbook dated back to the year 1439. Pancake Day is always celebrated on a Tuesday and is also known as Shrove Tuesday. Pancake Day celebrates the start of the Christian celebration of Lent where Christians give up something for 40 days to empathise with Jesus Christ when he was sent into the wilderness for 40 days and nights and tempted by the Devil.

Recipe for pancakes n n Ingredients For the pancake mixture: 110 g/4 oz plain flour, sifted pinch of salt 2 eggs 200 ml/7 fl oz milk mixed with 75 ml/3 fl oz water 50 g/2 oz butter To serve: caster sugar lemon juice lemon wedges Method Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets a airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do - incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.

Recipe for pancakes n Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream. Now melt the 50 g/2 oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl anduse it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake. Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you're using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18 cm/7 in pan. It's also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate. Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest. To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon. n

Races on pancake day n A pancake day race has been run on shrove Tuesday since 1445 in Olney village in Buckinghamshire. The origins of the pancake day race are thought to be from a time when one busy housewife heard the shriven bell at the village church and run straight there so as no to be late. She was still holding her frying pan and so started the tradition of pancake day race. Over the years this custom has been kept and modern runners now dress as traditional housewives with aprons ands bonnets whilst holding their frying pan. Pancake day race rules state that they must at least toss the pancake at the start of the race and at the end of the pancake day race. International pancake day races include that in Liberal Kansas which started in 1950 where they race against Olney residents. In 2008 the Shrove Tuesday pancake race in Ripon, North Yorkshire, was cancelled due to health and safety regulations. The cost of safety precautions and adhering to regulations meant that organisers had to call of the pancake race that usually began with the ringing of the Ripon Cathedral Pancake Bell.

Welsh pancakes n Welsh pancakes differ slightly in that they are made with buttermilk, sour cream or cream and have tiny holes in their cooked surface. Welsh pancakes are also known as Welshcakes. Once cooked they are then placed on top of each other on a large plate and the top Welshcake is spread heavily with butter. The small holes of the Welsh pancakes makes the butter spread throughout each Welsh pancake. Each Welshcake is usually kept flat but in Swansea they like to roll them up. Other UK regional variations include Gloucester where pancakes are made with suet and fried in lard before serving with golden syrup. In Scotland Scottish pancakes are much smaller and thicker. There is a link further below for a Scots pancake recipe from the uttertrivia. com other website scottishrecipes. co. uk

Welsh pancakes n International types of pancakes include French crepes which are really thin pancakes, American pancakes which are thick and have various toppings and Russian pancakes which are small bite sized made from buckwheat flour and yeast. Russian pancakes are called Russian blini. Each country have their own pancake customs such as in France where the cook holds a coin against the pancake handle for luck. As they turn the pancake they make a wish. Pancake cooking tips include flipping a pancake as quickly as possible and waiting for little bubbles to appear around the edges before turning or flipping pancakes. The key to a good pancake is preparation and this includes whisking the ingredients as thoroughly as possible so that no lumps appear. Some chefs use a food processor to blend the ingredients. This can be made earlier in the day and kept in the fridge for several hours.

Parliament pancake day n The Parliament Pancake Day takes place between various party Members of Parliament (MP) of the House of Commons. They race across Victoria Tower Gardens, opposite the Houses of Parliament, and have to flip their pancakes. The Parliament pancake race is sponsored by British Lion Eggs and proceeds goes to the charity Rehab.

Pancake song n Five Crispy Pancakes Five crispy pancakes in a frying pan, Flip them and toss them and catch them if you can. Along came a child, For a pancake one day Sprinkled it with sugar and took it away. Four crispy pancakes in a frying pan. . . etc

THE END n This presentation is by Jack Goreham n Hamish Chesterman n And n Matthew Rickard n