Pancake Day

The 28^th of February 2017 is Shove Tuesday, the last day before the start of Lent.

Traditionally Shove Tuesday is spent indulging in rich foods before commencing the fasting and religious obligations associated with Lent. Pancakes are commonly eaten on Shove Tuesday as they symbolize the four pillars of the Christian faith: eggs for creation, flour as the mainstay of the human diet, salt for wholesomeness and milk for purity.

Although our house doesn’t celebrate Shove Tuesday for religious reasons, I find it a pleasant tradition to carry on with my family. We have our own special recipe that we also use, it is fool-proof and is perfect if you are lactose intolerant!

The secret to our pancake recipe is instead of milk, we use unsweetened almond milk. The pancakes taste the same (if not better), are much lower in calories and are almost impossible to burn!

Ingredients (makes about 10 thin pancakes)

• 115g Plain flour
• 300ml Unsweetened almond milk
• 2 Eggs
• Pinch of salt

Preparation

Measure the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the milk, eggs and salt and whisk together for a minute or two until there are no lumps.

Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan. Spoon some pancake batter into the frying pan, tilting the pan to spread the batter out nice and thin.

Allow to cook for about 45 seconds per side, so it is a lightly toasted colour.

Remove to a plate and continue until all the batter is used up.

To serve add your favourite toppings. I always enjoy mine with lemon juice and sugar (traditionally British), or maybe you prefer maple syrup. The Dutch enjoy theirs with stroop (similar to maple syrup), appelstroop or a more savoury pancake served with grated cheese and spek.