Happy Pancake Day!


Rio and Venice both have their carnivals, but here in good old Britain we have our Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake Day. It's the day before the start of Lent, the period of fasting prior to Easter. Traditionally all fats and eggs are used up on this day as they'll not be eaten for some time. Many people in Britain don't observe Lent now, but still look forward to their pancakes today.
I've always had a bit of difficulty with Lent, as my birthday falls within the period. At work it's traditional to provide birthday cakes that day, and I've had to take into account the various foods my friends give up (usually cakes & biscuits or chocolate) and provide suitable alternatives in addition to their usual food avoidances. However, I don't need to worry about that this year and as you can see I'm just about to tuck into my pancakes. The traditional way to serve them is piping hot with caster sugar and lemon on top. Quick tip: whizz the lemon in the microwave for 10 seconds to get the most juice. As you can see, my family's tradition is to replace the sugar with a spot of golden syrup instead - lovely!

Comments

  1. Anonymous5 February 2008 at 12:13

    It was my dad who always did the pancakes - wafer thin, piping hot with lemon juice and sugar.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Silly Goose5 February 2008 at 12:32

    I've never had pancakes with lemon and caster sugar! Sounds awesome, though. We always eat them with maple syrup -- must be a Canadian thing, eh?

    ReplyDelete
  3. VP5 February 2008 at 13:02

    Hi again Flighty - strangely, it was always my dad that did them too. NAH's a dab hand at them as well. Is it a man thing or what?

    Hi dirty knees - they certainly are scrummy! Mind you, I like them Canadian style too :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Threadspider5 February 2008 at 20:14

    I love pancakes your way in principle-but in practice-not really. Hope you enjoyed yours-they look great!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Garden Monkey5 February 2008 at 21:39

    Hey you!

    Number 7 in the Top 100 Gardening Blogs!

    Moonrakers are go!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Isadora6 February 2008 at 05:27

    Those are beautiful samples of great pancakes. I guess that means that today is Ash Wednesday! Thank you for reminding me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Katney6 February 2008 at 07:04

    I've always found it fascinating that in Latin climes they celebrate the day before Ash Wednesday with wild revelry, while the English eat pancakes. It's not yet Wednesday here, I have an hour. I may yet make some pancakes for a snak.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AVCr8teur6 February 2008 at 07:23

    Your pancakes look like crepes. My mouth is watering right now.

    ReplyDelete
  9. VP6 February 2008 at 22:05

    Threadspider - you don't know what you're missing, these were lovely!

    Garden Monkey - we meet here at last! :)

    Isadora, Katney & avcr8teur - I can tell you're pancake fans. Did this post make you go and get some for yourself?

    ReplyDelete

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