The Joy of Pancake Day: Fillings and Recipe

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:

• Sugar and Lemon: The ultimate filling. Traditional, easy and delicious. Simply sprinkle on some caster sugar and a few drops of lemon juice. 
• Fruit and Cream: Choose any sort of fruit you fancy and dollop on some double cream.
• Lemon Meringue: A fancier option, and a slight twist on the classic. Whip some double cream, stir in lemon juice and lemon curd, before folding in some crumbled up meringue. 
• Mango and Honey: The clue's in the name. Cut up fresh pieces of mango and dollop on some runny honey. The ultimate luxury pancake.

There are literally thousands of different types of filling, so go wild. Don't be afraid to experiment, you never know when you're going to find the next great combo.

The Simple, Perfect Recipe

There is nothing fancy or mysterious about a good pancake recipe, it is just basic ingredients cooked in a basic way. Here is a simple recipe you can use to make the very best traditional British pancakes.

Serves:
About 12 pancakes (enough for 3 greedy people or up to 6 normal people)

Ingredients:
  - 110g of plain flour
  - 2 eggs
  - 200ml of milk and 75ml of water
  - A pinch of salt

Method:

1. Whisk the flour, salt and eggs together in a bowl, and then gradually add the milk and water mixture. Carry on whisking until there are no lumps left.
2. Leave the mixture to settle for half an hour.
3. Put a medium sized frying pan on a medium/hot temperature and put in a little oil or butter. Give the batter mixture one final stir and then pour a little of it into the frying pan. British pancakes should be quite thin.
4. Once the underside is looking brown, flip the pancake over.
5. Once both sides are slightly brown, take your pancake out of the frying pan and on to a plate. Then fill it with whatever you want.

Bon appétit!

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