Shrove Tuesday... Pancakes gallore

Ever since I was little, Shrove Tuesday has been up there as one of my most favourite days of the year. I remember racing home from primary school, feeling nothing but excitement that Mum was going to let us loose in the kitchen to help her cook pancakes for supper. The kitchen would quickly become messy with various sweet and savoury {but mostly sweet} toppings and the surfaces would get covered with spilled batter. We didn't care though, we were having PANCAKES, yeaaaaaah!! My older sister and I would both take it in turns to flip the pancakes in the big pan and after topping our pancakes with everything imaginable we'd sit at the kitchen table, making the most of every bite until we felt absolutely stuffed. Pancakes didn't come often in our house, so a pancake dinner was always a real treat. Even now, that heartwarming smell of pancakes reminds me of those Shrove Tuesdays at home.

Nowadays, I'm unashamed to admit that my child-like excitement is still there when Shrove Tuesday comes around. It still remains one of the only days of the year that we cook pancakes in our house, which is crazy really because they're so easy to make and delicious!

Over the past couple of years I've noticed more and more 'guilt-free' pancake recipes online - dairy free, gluten free, flourless, sugar free and filled with super-foods such as chia seeds, maca powder, oats, coconut oil, you name it. I've tried a few healthy pancake recipes but, for me, none of them seem to work quite so well as the ever-faithful Nigella's recipe {from Feast} which is so simple and almost fool proof. 

 

What are your go-to toppings? I like a bit of everything, with loads of fruit... Bananas, raspberries, blueberries, fresh peaches and even pomegranate! And a big drizzle of maple syrup on top never goes a miss.

Freshly squeezed lemon and a sprinkling of sugar has got to be one of the best, most traditional toppings though...

Who could forget the good old nutella pancake though, with some fresh, sweet raspberries for good measure. Another firm favourite of mine.

Will you be making pancakes today? Have a lovely Tuesday whatever your plans!

Lydia xxx