Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, falls on 28th February 2006.
 
Read on for lots more pancake information and activities.
 

Pancakes are easy and fun to cook and a great way of introducing children to some of the basics of food technology.
 
Consider the use of eggs in pancakes. Different ingredients make different pancakes. Why not test the textures/tastes of different variations. Which do you like best - thick or thin, savoury or sweet? Different cooking techniques create different textures/tastes. Scottish Drop Scones are small, heavy flat cakes made with baking powder and are fried on a griddle. Welsh Crempogs are made by rubbing butter into flour and making a batter with buttermilk. Egg and baking powder are added just before frying on a griddle. Older children may want to consider what happens when heat is applied to eggs (the protein coagulates). Does the addition of milk/water to the eggs affect the coagulation process? (Further work on the science of egg cooking can be found in the Key Stage 3 resource on this site.)

This recipe makes 8 pancakes. You will need: 100g of plain flour Pinch of salt 2 Large Lion Quality* eggs 9 fl/oz mixed milk and water 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 1-2 tablespoons sunflower oil Method: Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour.   Lightly beat the Lion eggs and pour into the centre of the well.   Add half the milk and water mixture and, using a wooden spoon, gradually mix the flour into the liquid, drawing in the flour from the sides of the bowl.   Beat the mixture until smooth, then add the remaining liquid and continue to beat for a further minute.   Stir in the melted butter and allow the batter to stand for 30 minutes, then beat once more.   Cook the pancakes by heating the sunflower oil in a pan. Pour in a little batter and swirl it around the pan to spread it out evenly. When cooked and golden brown, flip the pancake over with a wide spatula and cook the other side.   Repeat with the remaining batter and serve the pancakes with lemon and orange wedges, sprinkled with caster sugar. * The Lion Quality mark on eggs means that they have been produced to the highest standard of food safety in the world. All Lion Quality eggs come from hens vaccinated against salmonella and have a ‘best before’ date stamped on the eggshell and box. They are available from all major supermarkets and other reputable outlets.

Shrove Tuesday or 'Pancake Day' is the day before Ash Wednesday, which heralds the start of Lent. Because Lent is a time when people traditionally eat simple foods or fast, Pancake Day developed into a day of indulgence - when people emptied the cupboards of the foods that that they would not be eating during Lent. Pancakes were made as they were an ideal way of using up eggs, butter and flour - which would not 'last' the 40 days of Lent. They are still popular today. Many other countries also have their own variations of pancakes - blinis, French crepes, scotch pancakes and crempog (Welsh pancakes) which are enjoyed all year round.

Shrove Tuesday has become associated with many local customs that date back centuries. Some of these could form the basis for a class project/research work on local history.

During Medieval times, pancakes were called crisps or cresps and represented the unleavened bread used during the Feast of the Passover. Lent was taken very seriously, and strict laws forbade the eating of certain foods during the period.

In Elizabethan times, a pancake bell signified the end of work and the beginning of Pancake Day festivities, including pancake races. Ball games (see below) such as those still played in Ashbourne, Derbyshire were also commonplace. 'Kick off' is at 2 o'clock when a brightly coloured ball is thrown into the crowd. The goals are 2 miles apart and players can kick, carry or throw the ball. Teams can be as large a 1,000 a side, and if there are no winners by the end of the day the game restarts on Ash Wednesday.

Origins of words are often interesting to children and a discussion of the word 'shrove' could form a good starting point for a wide range of fun word work. (Look at regional words and how word usage/meaning often varies from place to place. Think about how word meanings have changed over the centuries.) Ask children to make lists of words associated with a variety of foods - particularly the taste of luxury foods.

Shrove Tuesday is so called because it was the day when people went to church to be 'shriven' of their sins. In New Orleans, Shrove Tuesday is called Mardi Gras which means Fat Tuesday.

There are many good books and poems on the topic of pancakes which could be used to inspire creative writing.

Pre-school:

Pancakes, Pancakes by Eric Carle, Aladdin Paperbacks.

Age 4-8 years:

Perfect Pancakes if You Please by William Wise & Richard Egielski, Dial Books.

Like Butter on Pancakes by Jonathon London & G. Karar, Puffin Books.

The Pancake Day (Get Ready, Get Set, Read) by Kelli Foster, Gina Erickson & Kerri Gifford, Barron's.

Age 9-12:

Vinegar Pancakes and Vanishing Cream by Bonnie Pryer & Gail Owens, Beechtree Paperbacks.

Pancake Day can give you the opportunity for simple work on shapes. Ask young children to think about/collect/list circular objects. What are the characteristics of a circle? If you have the facilities, cooking pancakes will give children practice with working with measurements. Children could set up a 'pancake café' and work out costs (per pancake/per batch), profits and losses.

Pancake Day can be used as an introduction to a wide range of work on cultures and traditions.

Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, is the Day before Ash Wednesday; the first day of Lent. Lent is the period from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. Traditionally, Lent is devoted to 40 days of fasting and abstinence to commemorate Christ's fasting in the Wilderness.

In the UK, Shrove Tuesday used to be a national holiday, and many Christians (particularly in the Roman Catholic community) still mark this day as an important event on the religious calendar. Many people still choose to give up a specific 'treat' over the Lent period and often give the money they would have spent on that treat to charity or to the church. Because Shrove Tuesday is the start of a period of fasting, it has developed into a day of indulgence - when people eat rich foods and empty the cupboards of things that they will not be eating during the Lent period.

In New Orleans, Shrove Tuesday is called Mardi Gras (meaning Fat Tuesday). Mardi Gras was brought to New Orleans by the French. It merged with local customs to mark the coming of Spring and has now evolved into a huge carnival with floats, bands and colourful costumes. In Poland Christians celebrate Fat Thursday - the Thursday prior to Ash Wednesday.