It’s Pancake Day!

Method

1. Put 100g plain flour, 2 large eggs, 300ml milk, 1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil and a pinch of salt into a bowl or large jug, then whisk to a smooth batter.
2. Set aside for 30 mins to rest if you have time or start cooking straight away.
3. Set a medium frying pan or crêpe pan over a medium heat and carefully wipe it with some oiled kitchen paper.
4. When hot, cook your pancakes for 1 min on each side until golden, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go.
5. Serve with lemon wedges and caster sugar, or your favourite filling. Once cold, you can layer the pancakes between baking parchment, then wrap in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.

Method

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug, lightly whisk together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter.

Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and, using a fork, beat until you have a smooth batter. Any lumps will soon disappear with a little mixing. Let the batter stand for a few minutes.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. When it’s melted, add a ladle of batter (or two if your frying pan is big enough to cook two pancakes at the same time). It will seem very thick but this is how it should be. Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, then turn it over and cook until both sides are golden brown and the pancake has risen to about 1cm/½in thick.

Repeat until all the batter is used up. You can keep the pancakes warm in a low oven, but they taste best fresh out the pan.

Serve with lashings of real maple syrup and extra butter, if you like.

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/gas mark 7/425ºF, and straightaway put your pan into the oven to heat up while you prepare the batter.

Beat the eggs with the caster sugar in an electric mixer until light and frothy. Whisk in the milk, flour, vanilla, salt and grated nutmeg, and beat until you have a smooth but thin batter.

Wearing a thick oven mitt, remove the pan from the oven and put the butter carefully into the hot pan or tin and swirl it to melt, then quickly pour in the batter and return it to the oven.

Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 18–20 minutes.

Serve

Method

Cook the potatoes in their skins in a pan of boiling water, until tender. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, peel and pass through a potato ricer (or sieve) into a bowl. Add the flour and baking powder and season well. Add the milk, a little at a time, stirring to combine, then whisk in the eggs to make a thick batter.

Heat some oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and spoon in 2 large, heaped spoonful of the batter. Tilt the pan to spread the mixture over the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, or until the mixture bubbles up, then turn the pancake and cook for a further minute on the other side.

Remove from the pan and keep warm while cooking the rest of the pancakes, lightly greasing the pan with a little oil between each one.

For the filling, cut the beetroot into wedges. Heat the oil and butter in a pan until the butter begins to foam, then add the beetroot. Cook without stirring for 2 minutes, then toss the beetroot in the butter and oil.

Add the honey and stir to coat the beetroot. Add the vinegar, nutmeg and seasoning, and cook for a couple of minutes, then stir in the spinach and pine nuts. Spoon some filling on to each pancake, finish with a dollop of crème fraîche and fold over. Serve with a little bowl of crème Fraiche.

Method

Mash banana in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in egg, then flour until smooth. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Lightly spray a medium non-stick frying pan with oil and heat over medium heat. Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into pan and spread out with the back of a spoon until 1cm thick. Repeat with remaining batter to make 2 more pancakes.