Pancake day: Flip it!

Sweet or savoury, breakfast or dessert: whip up a flurry of pancakes this Shrove Tuesday for whatever time pancake cravings hit

Pancakes are a dream for foodservice – they’re low-cost, quick and easy to make and can be tweaked to suit any meal, any time of day.

Whether you serve them in-house or package up for delivery, create a special pancake menu with sweet and savoury fillings – you may find customers choose both! Offer plain ones as well with a selection of toppings so people can personalise theirs – this will be popular with children especially.

TOP TIP: ADD SPARKLING WATER TO YOUR BATTER FOR A LIGHT AND CRISP RESULT, JUST LIKE TEMPURA BATTER

OPTIONS

Think about the batter itself: there’s French crêpes, American-style or Scotch thick and fluffy ones, blinis, potato pancakes and pikelets. And why not add cocoa powder to make chocolate ones? Appeal to the vegan audience with batter made from tofu, almond milk and buckwheat flour and you have something for everyone. Top them or stuff them, keep it simple or go to town, the options are endless.

Another great option is to make up batches of batter and divide between jars, and package up a variety of topping ingredients, such as chocolate chips, fresh fruit, marshmallows and grated cheese, for people to make themselves at home – with a rise in sales of ready-made pancakes mixes, this could be a prime opportunity for you.

Here’s a collection of ideas to inspire your creativity this Pancake Day and make sure no one misses out.

Early risers

» Full English – sausage patties, bacon and a fried egg.

» Eggs benedict – layer up with ham, wilted spinach, poached eggs and hollandaise.

» Smoked salmon and cream cheese.

» Fresh fruit and natural yogurt.

» Maple syrup and bacon.

» A sprinkling of kids’ breakfast cereal topped with yogurt, hazelnut chocolate spread or a fruity sauce.

» Banana and cinnamon.

Midday munch

» Ham and cheese.

» Chicken and spring onion.

» Brie and cranberry.

» Roast vegetables.

Dinnertime

» Roasted butternut squash and Stilton.

» Chicken and leek.

» Mushroom and brie.

» Pizza – top with tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni and vegetables.

Sweet stuff

» Sandwich with mascarpone and fresh fruit.

» Top with scoops of ice cream drizzled with sauce.

» Chocolate pancakes dripping with melted chocolate and mini chocolate eggs.

» Caramelised apple.

» Banana and peanut butter.

» Melted and broken up chocolate bars, such as Mars and Crunchie, topped with mini chocolate fudge bars, giant chocolate buttons or jelly babies.

TOP TIP: ADD THE WET INGREDIENTS TO THE DRY AND MIX UNTIL IT JUST FORMS A BATTER – SMALL LUMPS ARE FINE