Pancake Day 2024
Pancake Day 2024: Everything you need to know about Shrove Tuesday
Pancake day is arriving! Here is everything you need to know about Shrove Tuesday and how to prepare your delicious pancakes.
Pancake day is a day where everyone eats lots of pancakes with a range of toppings - but why does everyone get so excited about it?
Why is there a day entirely centred around eating pancakes and why is it such a big deal?
What is Pancake Day?
Pancake day, also known as Shrove Tuesday, happens on a different day every year and is a mark of the start of the Christian festival of Lent.
Shrove Tuesday is the beginning of the 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter, which will be on the 13 February 2024.
Lent is typically a time of fasting and sacrifice, as Christian children tend to give up things such as crisps or chocolate.
Why We Eat Pancakes?
Eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday is a tradition that originates from families using all their ingredients they had to start Lent the next day.
Egg, flour and milk were typically the most common things to give up for Lent.
As times have changed, things such as chocolate or sweets are typically more common to give up now.
How To Make A Perfect Pancake
Here is a recipe from the BBC for how to make a perfect pancake:
For the pancake mixture:
- 110g/4oz plain flour
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
- 50g/2oz butter
- caster sugar
- lemon juice
- lemon wedges
- (NR TIP: you can try anything you like - be imaginative! You could try fruit and maple syrup, chocolate spread, ice cream, melted chocolate... yum)
- Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it.
- Begin whisking the eggs.
- Gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking.
- Whisk until all the liquid has been added and the batter has the consistency of thin cream.
- Melt the butter in a pan.
- Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in. Use the rest of the butter to grease the frying pan before you make each pancake.
- Get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium - be really careful doing this bit. You might want to get your mum and dad to help at this point!
- Ladle 2 tbsp of the batter into the hot pan all in one go.
- Tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter.
- After about half a minute, and when the bottom is golden in colour, flip the pancake over.
- The other side will only need a few seconds to cook.
- Slide the pancake out of the pan onto a plate.
- To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar.
Enjoy!