Pancake Day 2017: the best sweet and savoury recipes and everything else you need to know

[Dani ♡]

 

Find out all you need to know about Pancake Day 2017, from the best pancake recipes to the possibly pagan origins of Shrove Tuesday and the tradition of pancake tossing... 

When is Pancake Day 2017? Pancake Day has been celebrated by Britons for centuries. Known also as Shrove Tuesday, its exact date, rather confusingly, changes every year, because it is determined by when Easter falls. But it is always the day preceding Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), and always falls in February or March. This year, you'll need to get your pans ready for Tuesday, February 28th.

The word shrove is a form of the English word shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one's sins by way of confession and penance. Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the custom for Christians to be "shriven" before the start of Lent.

Why do we celebrate Pancake Day? Traditionally, pancakes were eaten on this day to use up rich, indulgent foods like eggs and milk before the 40-day fasting season of Lent began. But although it is enshrined in Christian tradition, it is believed that Pancake Day might originate in a pagan holiday, when eating warm, round pancakes - symbolising the sun - was a way of celebrating the arrival of spring.

Why do we flip pancakes? As well as making and eating pancakes, we Brits love to hold pancake races, where people run while flipping their pancakes in a pan. Legend has it that the tradition was born in the 15th century when a particularly disorganised woman in Buckinghamshire rushed to church to confess her sins while mid-way through making pancakes. We hope she gave one to the priest.

Do the maths... In 2012, University College London came up with a formula for the perfect flipping technique and it seems size really does matter. According to University Professor of Mathematics Frank Smith, the simple mathematical formula for the perfect flip is: L = 4×H /π– D / 2 (L = hand distance from inner edge of the pancake / H = height of flip / D = diameter of pancake) Professor Smith said: "We all know that no-one enjoys wasting ingredients but there are many factors and risks involved in producing a perfect pancake. "We’ve discovered that the wrong direction or speed, for instance, will mean that the average flipper may ruin two or even more pancakes trying to perfect their technique.

"We aim to reduce this waste by advising Brits how to achieve the perfect flip." And for those pancake aficiandos who want to take flipping to greater heights, here's another, more complicated, mathematical formula. [U, ω, V, L] = [(2gH)1/2, π(g/ 8H) 1/2, (g/ 32H) 1/2(8H – πD), V / ω] (U = upward speed of centre of pancake / ω = rotation rate / V = upward speed of inner edge of pancake / g = 9.81 m/s2 (acceleration due to gravity)

A cross-party team of MPs pipped peers and journalists to victory in an annual parliamentary pancake race. The race was held in Victoria Tower Gardens next to the Houses of Parliament to raise money for disability charity Rehab. Journalists, who were last year crowned the winners, went home empty handed.

MAKES Enough for 8 pancakes INGREDIENTS 1 large egg or 1 egg and one yolk 280ml milk 110g plain flour (4 heaped dessertspoons) 1 tbsp melted butter METHOD By hand: sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Break in the egg (and yolk, if using) and add apinch of salt and a splash of the milk. Whisk the egg, gradually incorporating the flour, to make a smooth cream. Whisk in the rest of the milk and the melted butter. With a blender: put all the ingredients in a blender jug with a pinch of salt. Whizz until smooth. It should be no thicker than single cream. Brush a hot pan with vegetable oil before adding a ladleful of batter and swilling thinly around pan, tipping the pan so the mixture spreads evenly. It will begin to cook immediately: pour any excess back into the bowl. When the pancake is browned on the bottom and the very edges are beginning to lift away, give the pan a shake to make sure the pancake is loose. If it is sticking anywhere, use a spatula to loosen it. When it moves freely, then you are ready to toss it - or, if you're less confident, use a spatula to turn it over. The other side will only need a few seconds. Slide out of the pan, and try one of these delicious toppings