Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday, whatever you want to call it, it means being able to eat copious amounts of pancakes and no one cares. It is actually to symbolise the day before Lent begins, traditionally using up your pantry items to prepare you for the fasting. This year it falls on Tuesday 8 February and there is nothing we love more than whipping up these amazingly tasty treats and piling on the toppings a foot high.
Cue the huge debate: what do you put on yours?
Pancake Day: top tips for tasty toppings!
Trying saying that fast with a mouthful of pancake…
The Classic
The staple Pancake Day topping surely has to be lemon and sugar. This was the first one I was introduced to as a kid and it is still one of my favourites now. Whether you grab a Jif lemon or buy the real thing, they are so tasty with a layer of granulated sugar, or spice things up with icing sugar or cinnamon.
The Chocoholic
Chocolate buttons, crushed Maltesers or Nutella, we aren’t being picky here. Chocolate in any form is great on pancakes. Mix white chocolate buttons with milk ones, or go mental by adding a finger of fudge or an After Eight. If you want to add some chopped fruit that would work well too, maybe some banana or strawberries. Take the chocolate to another level by adding cocoa powder to the pancake mix itself.
The Honey Bee
Not a lemon fan? Keep your pancake sweet with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. Add a dollop of salted caramel ice cream to be really decadent.
Savoury Pancakes
Savoury pancakes are like marmite (another topping idea?), you either love them or hate them. The purists out there will say that pancakes must be sweet, but the adventurous ones of you will love a dabble on the dark side.
Here are a couple of ideas if you are feeling a bit adventurous:
The All Day Breakfast
Bacon, scrambled egg, button mushrooms and some tomatoes make a super tasty savoury pancake. Slices of sausage are also good in this, but we draw the line at beans. No beans allowed.
The Minced Lamb and Sour Cream
Sounds a bit risky but trust us, this is a good’un. Some lovely spiced minced lamb and a line of soured cream makes one hell of a savoury pancake.
The Pancetta and Cheese
Another one that needs to be tried to be believed is pancetta with cheese that goes all melted once it’s in the pan. Choose any cheese of your choice and add some spinach or rocket. Gawjus!
Our writers’ faves
Our Janes are never the types to shy away from food. Here are a few of our writers’ faves:
Nell: “I love pancakes! One of my favourite toppings is a really yummy (and easy to prepare) chocolate sauce that my mum makes. It’s so simple, you just mix together equal parts butter and treacle, melt in a pan and add sifted cocoa powder. Stir it over heat while it thickens and then add cream. Keep stirring until you have a good runny consistency but don’t let it burn!”
Libby: “Call me boring, but you can’t go wrong with sugar and lemon pancakes. They are super tasty, super cheap and super easy to make. If you feel like jazzing them up a little, and fancy a bit of a boozy brunch, add a splash of cointreau!”
Becky: “Like, Libby, I love a good lemon/sugar combo – sometimes even throwing a few sultanas into the batter as it cooks (I know, ker-azy). I also love a bright, jewelled scattering of raspberries and blueberries, drowned in maple syrup. Yum!”
That’s our perfect toppings for Pancake Day.
What are yours? Let us know – @tweetjanes.