How to have your best Pancake Tuesday ever

Get your kitchen cabinets ready for Pancake Tuesday

Let’s face it, we could all do with more storage space in the bedroom. No matter how minimalistic you aim to be, Pancake Tuesday is fast approaching. This year it falls on Tuesday 13th February. But what can you do to make it extra special this year?

Pancake Tuesday is one of those events that can easily be overlooked. Even though it’s on our radar, it’s often the case that the day comes and we realise we’d forgotten all about it. And then have to rummage through our kitchen cabinets to see if there are any suitable ingredients for pancake fillings.

So why not make this the year that you get prepared in advance for Pancake Tuesday. In this article we share a few ideas about how you can do that, and have your best Pancake Tuesday ever.

What is Pancake Tuesday all about?

Pancake Tuesday – also known as Shrove Tuesday – always occurs the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. It is always 47 days before Easter Sunday. 

Lent is traditionally a period of self-denial, and the origin of Pancake Tuesday is thought to be because pancakes are an easy way to use up all the goodies in the home before the traditional 40 day Lent fast.

The first pancake recipe appeared in an English cookbook in the 15th century. Since then pancakes have grown in popularity, and it’s estimated that on Pancake Day, 52 million eggs are used in the UK: 22 million more than on a normal day.

Pancakes are easy to make, but it’s important to get the ingredients right. Let’s take a look at what ingredients are needed to make the perfect pancake.

What ingredients do you need to make the perfect pancake?

A simple pancake recipe to start with uses:

• 100g plain flour, with a pinch of salt added
• 2 eggs
• 300ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Butter for frying

Whilst the above are the basic ingredients, some chefs experiment with adding other ingredients too. A popular addition is a drop of vanilla essence, but there are many other options including fruits such as blueberries, bananas and strawberries. So once you get more confident about making pancakes, you may want to try adding different ingredients to the batter to get the exact taste that you want.

How to make the perfect pancake

Making pancakes is relatively easy, and an activity that all the family can enjoy together. So clear some space in your kitchen, set up a pancake making area, and make sure that everyone has a job to do.

To get started making your pancakes, all you need to do is whisk the eggs, milk and oil together until you have a frothy mixture. Then pour this slowly into the salted flour, stirring or whisking as you do so to prevent the mixture going lumpy. Some chefs then like to leave the batter to stand for a while before use.

Once you are ready to cook your pancake, heat up a frying pan, add the butter and once it is melted pour in enough pancake mixture to cover the bottom of the pan. When the pancake starts to brown, use a spatula to flip it over to cook the other side. Or you could be brave and try tossing the pancake instead!

As with anything else in life, practice makes perfect. In fact, even when you are confident about making pancakes it often seems to be the case that the first pancake doesn’t come out quite right. There is a Russian proverb that translates as “the first pancake is always a blob”, and fans of the TV series Friends may even remember Rachel Green at one stage being described as the first pancake.

But once you get the hang of making pancakes, the next decision is what to use for topping.

What are the UK’s favourite pancake fillings?

Traditional pancake toppings are lemon and sugar, or maple syrup. 

But in 2024, there are no holds barred on what to put on your pancakes. During 2023 various different surveys tried to pin down the UK’s favourite pancake toppings but disagreed as to the results. Some of the most consistently popular turned out to be:

• Bananas
• Blueberries
• Chocolate
• Nutella
• Peanut butter

There are also several savoury fillings competing for position, including:

• Bacon
• Spinach 
• Vegetarian alternatives

So why not get creative and come up with some weird and wonderful combinations for your pancakes this year? Start by having a rummage through your fridge and kitchen cabinets to see what kinds of potential ingredients are lurking there, and create your own bespoke pancake menu!

We hope that the above information and ideas will help you and your family to have a fabulous and fun time this Pancake Tuesday. And if you are considering making changes to your kitchen this year – perhaps to make it more family friendly – why not take a browse through our gallery of kitchen pictures to start getting a few ideas together?.

And do visit us again soon for more home and lifestyle tips from DIY Homefit.