Video: Bill’s Nottingham have launched a special Pancake Day menu
Whether you like them sweet or savoury, fluffy or thin – Nottingham experts have the secret to making perfect pancakes.
Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday, falls on Tuesday February 28 – which is the day before Lent and 47 days before Easter Sunday.
The name ‘Shrove’ comes from the word ‘shrive’ meaning to free yourself from sin and get rid of any indulgences and fatty foods in the house before the beginning of Lent.
In the US, Pancake Day is known as ‘Mardi Gras’, which means fatty Tuesday in French.
The day provides an opportunity to use up remaining eggs, flour and milk – the traditional pancake ingredients – before the start of spring.
However despite the simple recipe, many people struggle to make the ‘perfect’ pancake.
Stuart Wright, owner of Coal and Lace café in Calverton, says the secret to fluffy pancakes is making the batter the night before.
He said: “Making it the night before gets rid of any lumps and helps the gluten to rise, which increases elasticity and makes the mixture stretchier and hold together better.
“Self-raising flour also works better than regular flour and if you are avoiding dairy, using soya or lactose-free milk will make no real difference to the taste.”
The café specialises in thick American-style pancakes with sweet and savoury toppings including maple syrup and bacon, and Nutella with cream and banana.
Stuart said: “Another trick is to make sure the pan is very hot and only use a small amount of oil.
“Fluffy pancakes are harder to flip than crepes so try using a spoon or spatula – this way you can also cook two in a pan at a time.”
Delilah Fine Foods, on Victoria Street, will be serving pancakes topped with ingredients that they sell in their store.
Head chef Ryon Ishfaq said: “We have two special variations – traditional style with blueberry compote and vanilla ice cream, and American-style with pancetta and cheesy scrambled eggs.
“Our secret is using buttermilk in the batter, which makes a much richer pancake.”
Some of the ingredients sold in the store include gourmet compotes, figs in syrup, and maple and caramel sauces.
Ryan said: “There are many different toppings that can be used on pancakes and French toast.
“Personally I’d stick to traditional pancakes with bacon, blueberries and maple syrup because you can’t go wrong with that.”
Bill’s Nottingham, on Queen Street, have launched a special pancake menu offering three different varieties of pancake, available all day, every day until Tuesday.
Waitress Amy-Jane Nava said: “We already have pancakes on our breakfast menu but these are special limited edition flavours that people can enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner – whenever they feel like them.
“We use buttermilk in the recipe which makes them nice and thick, and the lemon and crème fraiche topping is made using ingredients from our shop – so people can also make it at home.”
The pancake menu includes salted caramel with cinnamon, banana split with strawberry ice cream and a lemon cheesecake sandwich.
Amy said: “For people making them at home I would suggest keeping the pan on quite a low heat.
“Sometimes the mistake people make is burning the pancakes, which is obviously not very nice, so keep them on a low heat – especially if they are thick.
“Also turn them quite frequently so you get a nice brown look on the top of them.”
The restaurant will be giving out mini versions of Bill’s lemon curd with the lemon cheesecake pancake recipe attached to everyone who orders pancakes on Tuesday.
