Tuesday 13th February
is Pancake Day...
...It’s a day heavy on tradition and culinary expectation.
Otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day is always the Tuesday before Ash
Wednesday, which is the first day of lent and falls 47 days before Easter Sunday.
In some countries the day is referred to as Mardi
Gras, which is French for “Fat Tuesday”, meaning
to eat rich fatty foods before the period of fasting
during lent. Shrove comes from “Shriven” a term
used for Angelo Saxon Christians being absolved
for their sins at confessions and then doing
penance. The UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia
celebrate Pancake Day and take on the tradition
of cooking the sweet or savoury treats on this day
every year.
Pancakes were originally made by Ancient Greeks
and Romans and were sweetened by honey. Over
the years different counties have developed their
own pancake styles. French crepes, Dutch puffs,
American griddlecakes and scotch pancakes are all
varieties of the flat snacks. Sometimes a breakfast
treat, sometimes a pudding and sometimes even
a savoury main meal. The humble pancake has
morphed into many varieties and can be enjoyed
at home or when dining out.
One Buckinghamshire tradition dating back as far
as 1445 is the Olney pancake race. Competitors
must be female residents of the village who race
with frying pan and pancake to the church door.
Tradition dictates the winner receives a kiss from
the village verger.
In the UK ready-made mixes and batters are
available but many people still like to make their
pancakes from scratch. On Shrove Tuesday 52
million eggs will be used in the UK, which is more
than twice a normal day’s usage. At Waitrose we
offer the convenience of ready to mix powders.
The ingredients needed to take pride in your own
creations are 250g plain flour, 2 large eggs,
500ml milk plus a pinch of salt and a knob
At the end of your shop in branch, you’ll receive a token
to place in a box of the good cause you’d
of butter for frying. This will make you six
most like to support. The more tokens a
medium pancakes.
cause gets, the bigger the donation they
receive. Each month every Waitrose
branch donates £1,000 (£500 in
Convenience shops) between 3 local
good causes that you choose.
Don’t forget, you can pick up copies of
Hiya Bucks in the following Waitrose stores:
A free cup of tea
or coffee everyday
as a myWaitrose
member.
Amersham, Beaconsfield, Chesham, Gerrards Cross, Hazlemere and High Wycombe
46 |
hiyabucks.com