Discover the history of Pancake Day and enjoy delicious crepes and toppings

There are few culinary calendar events more exciting than Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday. That start-of-spring feeling, the smell of gently cooking batter, and zing of fresh lemon — is there anything as quintessentially nostalgic? Crepes piled high, lashings of syrup, and generous sprinklings of sugar — ahh, we can smell the scene. You might even fancy a chocolate edition…

To appreciate this classic comfort food in all its glory, we’ll be taking you on a journey through the history of Pancake Day. 

When is Pancake Day in 2022?

First things first, this year, Shrove Tuesday is on the 1st of March. The date changes every year as it is always 47 days before Easter Sunday, so mark it in your diary so you don’t forget. Keep in mind that it always falls between February 3rd and March 9th every year. If your birthday also falls in this period, you can expect to have an extra delicious birthday sometime in the future!

Why do we celebrate Pancake Day?

Pancake Day is a traditional feast day marking the start of Lent — the 40 days leading up to Easter — on Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time of fasting, so Shrove Tuesday marks one last day of indulgence when everyone can use up their eggs and milk in one (rather scrumptious) pancake flipping session.

In the past, Anglo-Saxon Christians would go to confession on Shrove Tuesday to be absolved from their sins — this was called being shriven. A bell would even ring to call people to confession, which came to be known as the Pancake Bell. Fun fact — it is still rung today!

Today, communities all over the UK take part in Shrove Tuesday celebrations. These usually involve fancy dress, pancake-wielding races through the streets, and even football games. Why not check if there are any Pancake Day events going on in your area? It’s a great excuse to take part in some neighbourly fun and games.

Pancakes around the world

The tradition of having pancakes on Shrove Tuesday is much more popular in the UK than in most other countries around the world. This doesn’t mean that they don’t celebrate Shrove Tuesday, there’s just a little less emphasis on pancakes!

For example, if you live in Denmark, you might be used to eating lots of different cakes and bakes on the last Sunday before Lent. Whereas in Spain, they throw a carnival starting on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday called La Tortilla meaning “Day of the Omelette”. It won’t surprise you to hear that the Spanish eat omelettes instead of pancakes during this time.

What’s the difference between a pancake and a crepe?

When we talk about pancakes in the UK, we’re usually referring to crepes — thin, light, French-style pancakes created by using the entire area of the pan. However, the difference between pancakes and crepes can get confusing. When Americans talk about pancakes, they are referring to what we call “American pancakes”. These are thicker, smaller, and fluffier pancakes made with a similar batter to crepes, just with some additional raising agent.

Which type you make on Pancake Day is up to you — there are no rules! Just make sure you’re using the correct recipe for the one you have in mind.

How to make the most of Pancake Day

If you’re hoping to celebrate Pancake Day this 1st March, simply clear a few hours around breakfast, lunch or dinner (that’s right, it’s perfectly acceptable to enjoy pancakes for dinner), tell your family or friends that you’ll be cooking up some pancakes, and save our simple pancake recipe. Really, that’s all there is to it — who said hosting a dinner party was hard work?

Pancakes are a great collaborative activity. Why not take turns with the flipping? And if you have kids, they’ll love getting creative with the toppings. Don’t worry if your Pancake Day quickly turns into culinary chaos. With batter flying through the air, sticky sauces, and lots of hungry diners gathered in the kitchen, it’s bound to happen! Embrace the fun.

Simple pancake recipe

A basic crepe-style pancake recipe contains four key ingredients, meaning you can probably make them even if you’re overdue for a supermarket trip. It might interest you that all four ingredients represent four things of significance at Easter time. Eggs symbolise creation, flour represents the staff of life, salt is wholesomeness, and milk symbolises purity.

To make a batch of approximately 10 crepes you’ll need:

• 100g plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 300ml milk (dairy or plant-based alternative)
• Oil for frying

Method

Add the flour, eggs, milk, and salt to a bowl and whisk into a batter — make sure there aren’t any lumps.

Add a drop of oil to a pan (distributing it evenly with a spatula) and place it on the hob (medium heat). Spoon a ladle-worth of pancake batter into the hot pan and cook for around one minute on each side. Lift the pancake up slightly with your spatula to check that it is golden on the underside before flipping.

It might take a few attempts to master the art of flipping — and remember, it’s tradition to mess up the first pancake!

Place each cooked pancake on a plate and keep them in the oven on a low heat until you have finished cooking all the batter. Alternatively, if you’re cooking for a larger group, serve them their pancakes fresh out of the frying pan. 

What about toppings?

Unless you like your pancakes plain, you’ll also need a few toppings. This part is up to you, though most people like to cover their pancakes with things like lemon, sugar, syrups (maple or golden), melted chocolate, and fresh fruit (berries and bananas are popular).

If you want to seize Pancake Day as a chance to indulge in your chocolate cravings (who wouldn’t?), check out our article on Irresistible Chocolate Crepe Variations For Pancake Day — we share our chocolate topping recommendations and how to make a chocolate pancake batter.