There is no excuse. Everyone should be flipping a homemade pancake on Shrove Tuesday (24 February). All you need are three basic British ingredients; eggs, milk and flour, a frying pan and some heat. They take no time to make, are immensely satisfying, cost effective and can be served in a variety of ways from sweet to savoury, Welsh cakes to drop-scones. Even the most cautious cook need not fret because if at first you don't succeed you just try another with hardly any waste

Historically, pancakes were made on Shrove Tuesday so that the last of the fatty and rich foods could be used up before Lent. Ensuring your ingredients are British could not be easier. If you are dependant on the supermarket to source your eggs then look out for the Lion Quality mark [click here]. British milk doesn't necessarily have to come from cows, goats milk can be just as effective [click here]. As for British flour, UK flour millers use 5.5 million tonnes of wheat each year to produce around 4.5 million tonnes of flour so there is plenty of it! If you are unsure about supermarket own brands then stick to well known British brands such as McDougalls. Gluten-free flour can easily be used instead of wheat flour, try Dove Farm Gluten Free flour which is available from most supermarkets. With regards to the frying pan or griddle use what you have or what you can afford, just ensure that it is well greased.

English pancakes are made from plain flour, eggs and milk. This makes a runny batter, which will form a film on the bottom of the frying pan. The pancakes tend to be pale and do not rise. They are most similar to French crêpes and can be eaten as a savory dish stuffed with British haddock and spinach in a white sauce or with mince and mushrooms, for example. Alternatively, they can be served as a sweet with the traditional topping of lemon juice and sugar or filled with melted British chocolate or drizzled with golden syrup.

Welsh cakes ( picau ar y maen, pice bach, cacen gri or teisen radell) are traditional Welsh snacks and are also known as bakestones because they are traditionally cooked on a cast iron griddle known as a bakestone. Welsh cakes differ from English pancakes because they also contain butter or lard, sugar and currants. They are about half an inch thick and a couple of inches in diameter. They are not usually eaten with an accompaniment though sometimes they are split and spread with jam. They are traditionally eaten at tea time.

Scotch pancakes are also known as drop-scones after the traditional method of dropping batter onto a griddle. In northern England they are known as pikelets. They are made using self raising flour, eggs, sugar and milk. Fruit such as currants can be added or they can be served plain. The recipe is similar to crumpets and they are usually about 3.5 inches in diameter. They are traditionally served with jam and cream or just with butter at tea time.

For a savoury pancake idea - Suffolk fraze [click here]
For a Scotch pancake recipe [click here]
For a Welsh cake recipe [click here]
For an English pancake recipe [click here]