Shrove Tuesday recipe – owl pancakes

What is Shrove Tuesday?

Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day as it also popularly known, is celebrated in February. The exact date changes every year, but the rule is that it always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday.

In the Christian calendar, Shrove Tuesday comes before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent and the giving up of treats and indulgences for the next 40 days. Shrove Tuesday became a final day of feasting, and pancakes are the perfect choice for using up any leftovers like butter, eggs and milk.

Now a widely enjoyed tradition of its own in Scotland and the rest of the UK, Pancake Day is also popular in other countries across the world. Pancakes are certainly a global treat: in the collection at Culross Palace we have a charming Dutch pan for making poffertjes, a traditional Dutch batter treat that is essentially a fluffy mini pancake made from wheat. For our recipe below though, a simple frying pan is all you need!

Recipe

• 200g self raising flour
• 200ml milk
• 1 free-range egg
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• Strawberries
• Bananas
• Chocolate buttons or blueberries

Method

1. Sieve the flour into a bowl with the sugar and a pinch of salt.
2. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and break in the egg.
3. Gradually add the milk and whisk together to make a thick batter.
4. Lightly grease and heat a non-stick frying pan. Pour in batter to make a circle. Cook on a low/medium heat, until the pancake starts to bubble. Turn it over with a utensil to cook the other side.
5. Repeat until you’ve used up all the batter.
6. Use slices of banana for the eyes, decorated with blueberries or chocolate buttons. Slice strawberries lengthways for the wings.

Enjoy!

Top tip: Before decoration, the pancakes will freeze well in an airtight container or bag.