Shrove Tuesday is the last Tuesday before the beginning of Lent - the 40 days that precede Easter. It takes its name from 'shriving' or attaining absolution through confession. Lent was a time of abstinence and so the home was cleared of rich foods such as dairy produce and eggs on Shrove Tuesday. One meal commonly consumed on the day was pancakes, which remains a cheap and cheerful favourite today.

Ingredients

• 50 grams butter
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 2 eggs

Method

1. Heat the butter in a frying pan and cook until it becomes nut brown in colour. Tip the butter out of the pan and into a jug or bowl to arrest any further browning. This nut-brown butter will give the pancakes a lovely sweet nutty taste.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre. Beat together the milk and eggs and gradually pour into the well, stirring with a wooden spoon to make a smooth batter.
3. Do not pour all the milk in at once as this makes it hard to achieve a lump-free batter. Should your batter have lumps, beat well or pour through a sieve. Stir through the butter and set aside for 5 minutes.
4. Heat a frying pan over a moderate heat and grease lightly with butter. Add scant quarter-cupfuls of batter to the pan and cook until bubbles appear on the surface and begin to burst. Flip the pancake over and cook a further minute or until the centre is cooked. Transfer to a cake rack while cooking the remaining batter.
5. Serve the pancakes drizzled with honey or sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice, or whatever else is a favourite in your home.