Jammy Pancakes

Shrove Tuesday has always been an important family occasion for me. Indeed, I was born on Ash Wednesday and my mum still made my dad and my brother their annual pancakes despite being in labour! Now that's dedication!



This year Shrove Tuesday falls on 21st February so I hope you have your frying pan ready and are well stocked up with lemons! I have to confess that I find it hard to beat the classic lemon and sugar combo on pancakes but there are of course lots of other options. Sliced banana drizzled with honey is good, or an apple cooked with some brown sugar and cinnamon works well too.



A while ago I bought a teeny frying pan from the Lakeland catalogue. It was designed for frying one egg at a time but I use it to make mini pancakes in. These prove particularly popular with my girls. Funny how mini sized things often appeal to children. It also makes them think they had eaten "millions!" of pancakes, when in fact 4 of them is only the same as one large crepe. On these pancakes they spread jam so the small size of the pancake also means they have the opportunity to have a variety of different flavours. Try it, it is fun!

Mini Jammy Pancakes

4 oz (110 g) flour
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
10 fl oz (300 ml) milk
Jam

Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the egg and milk gradually and whisk vigorously to make a smooth batter. If possible, leave the mixture to rest for a while (or overnight). Heat a little oil in a small size frying pan or use a medium frying pan and a fried egg ring. Poor a little batter into the pan (or ring) and swirl the pan round to cover the base. Cook on one side until beginning to crisp at the edges then flip and cook again for a minute or two until done. Lay on a plate and smear with a jam of your choosing. Eat immediately.