recipe

For food lovers, today is one of the best celebrations of the year- Pancake Day. Historically known as Shrove Tuesday, the second Tuesday of February has traditionally been used as a final day to gorge on food before the restraint and fasting of lent begins.

However, these days few people in the UK still fast during lent and today has instead become simply the perfect excuse to eat so many pancakes that you can hardly stand up.

British pancakes are not quite like any other country's. They are much larger and thinner than American pancakes, but slightly thicker than French crêpes. Below you can find a really simple recipe to make perfect British pancakes.

Step 1: Sieve the flour into a large bowl and add the two eggs. Add a little of the milk/water mix and start whisking the mixture with a fork or balloon whisk. 

As part of India Week, Farida Allana, an Indian student living in the UK, gives her take on Indian versions of two British dishes with some brilliant recipes:

For food lovers in the UK, today is a great day, up there with Christmas and Easter. For today is Shrove Tuesday, or as most people now call it: Pancake Day.

Traditionally Shrove Tuesday has been the last day before Lent and therefore a last chance to eat before a time of fasting. However ever since pancakes were introduced into the celebrations, this has been taken to extreme measures. Pancakes are one of those foods that are so delicious that you carry on eating them even when you're full up.

Sitting down with your trouser buttons undone? You can fit another couple of pancakes in. Lying on the floor groaning? Oh well, there is always room for one more.

The Fillings

The recipe for pancakes (which you can see below) is fairly standard, but it is the endless choice of fillings that really spices things up. You can always complete your pancakes with savoury fillings, but we are all about the sweet: