Mix Up Your Pancake Day
Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Dia De La Tortilla… Pancake Day (as we call it in the UK) can look different depending on where you are in the world. But whichever version you celebrate (or are curious about), I’m here to tell you: you can definitely do it from scratch.
It’s not a chore!
Would you like to listen to the podcast version instead of reading this article? Find it here!
I live in the UK, and every supermarket I’ve gone into in the last 2-3 weeks have had at least one set of Pancake Day shelves either right by the entrance or by checkout. Usually consisting of bottles of a “pancake mix” powder, ultra-processed beyond recognition (I read the ingredients on one of the bottles and had no idea what half of them were or why they were in there), syrup, bottled lemon juice and frying pans (because, of course, we need a separate frying pan for our pancakes, right?).
Now, I love a ‘food day’. I genuinely think they are fun and a great way to have something special to look forward to and plan. Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is based in Christian tradition, but like most things related to food, evolved around different countries’ cultures, and now has different names and different dishes (although there’s some resemblance) at the heart of it. Scandinavian countries have a sweet roll, often filled with whipped cream, Spain a savoury tortilla, Brazil and some American regions celebrate Mardi Gras (perhaps the most famous!).
But how do we get to a point where a day of food celebration becomes a chore for us - and we think we need to grab the “essentials” for it from the checkout shelves in the supermarket? As I’ve written about a lot lately, I don’t mind a quick solution for lots of things in the kitchen. I have a newfound understanding of the need for this. But I think it’s important to remember that some things are actually quick from scratch - I dare suggest we don’t need a ready-made pancake mix… ever. Check out BBC Food’s recipe for regular pancakes, for example, and it’s literally flour, eggs and milk, plus some butter or oil for the pan, and whatever you want on top. I bet you can do that! And if you want to make it even easier, you can use up ripe bananas and some eggs for banana pancakes. You can even use chickpea water (aquafaba) and make my aquafaba pancakes - a great way to use some leftovers! Need to add a bit of colour to your life? Try green pancakes using spinach for colour - they don’t add any flavour but look so fun (you don’t need to have kids to justify choosing these, by the way!). Want to make sure you’re still getting some fibre with your breakfast? Try my grated apple pancakes (I love these!).
My point is; pancakes can be really fun without you needing anything fancy that you can’t buy cheaply at any shop or possibly already have at home in your kitchen. It doesn’t take long to mix it (and you can even pre-mix it the night before if you want to have it ready to go in the morning, with about 5 minutes of prep). If you think the regular “BBC” pancakes are a bit boring and you’ve tried all of my recipes listed above already, well, then search the internet for pancake inspiration. You could try a new type of pancake every day of your life, I’m sure! And of course, if you want to be a bit more international, you can read more about what other countries do on their version of Pancake Day and take inspiration from that. What a fun activity with a friend, partner or your family!
If you need a quick reminder about why you want to avoid ready mixes like pancake mixes; I really recommend learning more about ultra-processed food. It really is hard to avoid UPF completely in our society, but my mission is to highlight the times where it’s really easy to make something yourself from real, base ingredients, and I truly believe your body will thank you. And on that note; you don’t need a bottle of lemon juice. Cut up a real lemon into wedges and enjoy with your pancakes! If you need any inspiration for uses of leftover lemons, check them out here.
I was so proud of my “mix up your Pancake Day” title until I went into Waitrose and saw that Nutella had done their own Pancake Day shelves with the same title, so as my revenge, here is a link to one of my Nutella alternatives, and here is another one (this one only has three ingredients) - both would go brilliantly on some pancakes. Bon appetit!
Do you celebrate Pancake Day, or another version of it, where you live? If so, what will you be making and eating? I’d love to hear from you! Email me at liv@thefromscratchbody.com
