HARRY’S PANCAKE’ DEMO ON TUES 5 FEB
Doddington Hall Farm Shop & Café’s chef Harry Wells is normally out of sight and busy in the kitchen but on Shrove Tuesday (5 February) Harry will be swapping his state-of-the-art cooking range for a simple portable gas ring as he will be cooking pancakes in the shop for customers to sample!
Not just any old pancakes, Harry’s will be ‘low food miles’ as the batter will be made from local Maud Foster windmill-ground flour, local milk and eggs from local free-range birds. For fillings, Harry will be offering Doddington Honey and even some lemon juice from the Hall’s own 30 year old tree grown in their private greenhouse.
In addition to the normal supply of organic unwaxed lemons, there will be a limited amount of Doddington Hall lemons for sale – which really do have to be smelt to be believed!
Claire Birch, who owns and runs the family-owned Hall that she grew up in, explains why she’s delighted that Harry will be flipping pancakes and showing people how easy they are to make! “The farm shop is all about good quality local and regional products being made available, and inspiring people to perhaps eat or cook something they haven’t considered before. For some, trying to make pancakes means a ruined pan and an off-course pancake on the floor but I’m inviting everyone to come down and learn from Harry, and of course take part in some delicious sampling!”
Shrove Tuesday is the traditional feast day on the eve of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent was traditionally a time of fasting and on Shrove Tuesday Christians went to confession and were 'shriven' (absolved from their sins). It was also the last opportunity to use up eggs, fats and meats before embarking on the fast and pancakes are the perfect way of using up these prohibited ingredients.
Pancakes have a very long history, and their first appearance in a cookbook was 1439! The tradition of tossing or flipping them is almost as old: 'And every man and maide doe take their turne, And tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne.' (1619, Pasquil's Palin)
Around the world, pancakes are popular. German and French pancakes are baked very thin and served with sweet or savoury fillings. The French crêpe is thin and crispy - a crêpe Suzette is folded or rolled and heated in a sauce of butter, sugar, citrus juice, and liqueur.
Russian blinis are thin, crisp pancakes, and commonly served with caviar and sour cream or folded over and filled with cream cheese or jam. Mexico has its tortilla, which is often served folded over a bean or meat filling and topped by tomato sauce. American pancakes are thicker. They are sometimes called battercakes, griddlecakes, or flapjacks and are usually leavened with baking powder or baking soda and served with syrup.
Harry will be making pancakes from 11.30am to 4.30 pm in Doddington Hall Farm Shop & Café. Everyone welcome and they will be able to take Harry’s recipe home with them.
ENDS
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