Shrove Tuesday has been celebrated for many years and has evolved through time, interpreting information from several religious influences.
‘Shrove’ is derived from an old English word, ‘Shrive’ which meant to obtain absolution for your sins before the period of Lent. Shrove Tuesday is now celebrated on the day prior to Ash Wednesday.
It is unsure how or when pancakes entered the tradition, but it is largely thought to be due to a Russian tradition on the approach to Lent, called Maslenitsa. This generally lasted a whole week and pancakes were cooked to represent the sun. The first pancake was placed on a window for the spirits of their ancestors and by eating them, they believed that they could harness the power, light and warmth of the sun.
It has also been referred to at some points, as Fat Tuesday as they would eat their fill before fasting for Lent.
Many years ago, Shrove Tuesday was a ‘half-holiday’ with the Church Bells ringing at 11 o’clock to signal the end of the working day and the commencement of the Church Service. In 1445, a housewife in Buckinghamshire is reputed to have been cooking a batch of pancakes and forgot the time until she heard the ringing of the bells and took her red-hot frying pan, complete with pancake, on the mad dash to the Church, flipping it as she went to prevent it from burning! This started the tradition of the pancake race which we still see around the country today.
Traditionally, pancakes were served with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of sugar, however in more recent years we have diversified into several alternative fillings – some of them sweet and some savoury.
We have listed our favourite fillings for some inspiration for you – and have then used them to match some lights… After all, you can’t have your pancakes clashing with your lighting!!! You can click on each pancake to see more colour inspiration. All this food and none of the calories – enjoy!
Lemon Cheese-pan-cake:
A twist on the traditional lemon and sugar sees the introduction of mascarpone cheese. Gently stir the juice and zest of a lemon into the cheese with some sugar (careful not to overwork it, or it may split). This is delicious served with scotch pancakes in a bowl as a decadent desert.
Clementine:
Great for those watching the calories, simply place the fruit inside crepes and roll up. These taste delicious served with a drizzle of melted dark chocolate.
Blueberry and Vanilla Ice Cream:
This is great using an oat pancake recipe, cooked as scotch pancakes. Try sandwiching the ice cream between the pancakes, before topping with a generous handful of blueberries… Yum!
Vegetable Stir-Fry:
When making the pancake mix, add a dash of soy sauce and Chinese five spice in the place of any sugar/sweetener. Cook them as crepes and stir-fry your favourite vegetables. Serve both warm and you can wrap the stir-fry in the pancakes at the table!
Salted Caramel Banoffee:
A delicious invention, where the sickly sweetness of the caramel has been calmed by the addition of a small amount of salt. Simply boil up a 400g tin of condensed milk caramel with around 120ml water, stirring all the while. When it’s all dissolved and hot, you can add half a teaspoon of salt. Cut a banana into quarters lengthways, and wrap in a crepe style pancake. Drizzle the hot sauce over the top and add a splash of whipped cream – divine!
Cheese and Broccoli:
A marriage made in heaven… Cook the broccoli and stir into a hot cheese sauce. Make the pancake mix, replacing the sugar with a dash of mustard and black pepper. Cook as scotch pancakes and fill the bottom of an oven proof dish with half of them. Spoon the broccoli and cheese sauce on top, adding the remaining pancakes to the top. Sprinkle with some grated mozzarella and nutmeg and pop into a hot oven for 10 minutes (or until the cheese has melted).
Ginger and Cranberry:
Add a generous grating of ginger to your pancake mix (to taste) and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Boil 200g cranberries with 150g sugar and a couple of tablespoons of water for around 10 minutes. Blitz the sauce with a hand blender until smooth. This is great added to the ginger scotch pancakes, generously drizzled over the top before adding vanilla ice cream.
Fudge Hot Chocolate:
Quick and easy, this is sure to delight all those chocolate lovers! Cut readymade fudge into small pieces and add to the pancake mix, keeping some back to add to some whipped cream. Make a chocolate sauce with 100g dark chocolate and 150ml of double cream. Heat gently in a pan, creaming it together as the chocolate melts. Cook as crepes and wrap them around the whipped cream with added fudge pieces, and serve with a generous slosh of hot chocolate sauce.
White Chocolate and Raspberry:
Another chocolate treat! Crush a few raspberries and add them to the pancake mix. Melt 100g of white chocolate and fold in 50ml of double cream. Leave to cool and cook the raspberry pancake mix as scotch pancakes. When cooked, layer these with the raspberries and pour over the white chocolate sauce. You can also crumble some meringues over the top for a crunchy treat.
Tomato Pancakes with Asparagus and Blue Cheese:
Grate some tomatoes into your pancake mix (you may need to add a little extra flour) and add a dash of tomato puree and cook as scotch pancakes. Steam or boil the asparagus for a couple of minutes. Layer half of the scotch pancake style tomato pancakes on the bottom of an oven proof dish. Grate some blue cheese (of your choosing), then top with the asparagus. Add another sprinkling of the blue cheese before topping with another layer of pancakes. Add a final layer of grated cheese and parsley before placing in a hot oven for 10 minutes (or until the cheese has melted). Bon appetit!!
For more lighting inspiration, please click here. Go on, the dishes can always wait until later!
