Today is Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday and we all traditionally make pancakes at home. Shrove Tuesday is 47 days before Easter Sunday and marks the beginning, the next day, of Lent. We mostly make  sweet pancakes. Shrove Tuesday was traditionally the day that you used up all your eggs and fats etc., before Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of the Lent season, a time of fasting. So, before we give up chocolate for Lent let us make pancakes. You will need:

4 oz plain flour
a pinch of salt
1 egg
1/2 pint milk or water
2 oz caster sugar
olive oil
Butter for frying.

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(c) by Julia Briggs for use by English Tea Store. All rights reserved.

Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt, make a well and break the egg into this well. Now add a little milk/water and beat thoroughly, adding the milk/water as you go until half the milk/water has been combined. Leave the mixture in a cool place now for about half an hour and if you want to cook a few pancakes and keep them warm then prepare some baking sheets and a hot plate to keep them on in a warm oven.

Add the rest of the milk/water to the mixture and beat well to incorporate plenty of air, add the sugar and a couple of drops of olive oil beating all the time. Place a knob of butter into your pancake pan and heat until a blue haze comes off the pan.  Do not put too much batter into the pan – just a thin layer on the bottom of the pan is good. You may find it easier to use a jug or a ladle to put the batter into the pan. Cook for 2 mins on a medium heat and then toss! If you are not good at tossing flip it over with a spatula and cook for a further 2 mins  Cook each pancake and place on the hot  plate, cover with baking paper and put the next pancake on top and so on keeping them in the oven until you are ready to eat. We then put honey and lemon on and roll it up then add some fresh pouring cream and serve.  You can flambe them with brandy if you have some.  Enjoy!

~JB

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