Pancake Day in Brighton

Pancake day, or ‘Shrove Tuesday’ is the day of feasting before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.

Starfish & Coffee, Hanover

Starfish & Coffee in Hanover are well worth the trip as they’re going all out with their own “Panquake day”, they have a mixture of savoury and sweets to chose from, as well as vegan and gluten-free batters. Don’t expect lemon wedges and caster sugar here, their special this year is Spring’s Smoked Salmon, Beetroot Creme Fraiche & Chives. They are taking bookings this year on hello@starfishandcoffee.cafe or 01273 230635.

Indian Summer, Brighton’s Lanes

Choose from Masala Dosa, chiken dosa and panner dosa this pancake day. Two courses for £15 and all dishes are gluten free. Award winning Indian cuisine in Brighton’s Lanes.

Murmur, Brighton Seafront

Murmur on the Brighton Seafront are taking full advantage of the collision of half term with pancake day, they’re offering free coffee with every pancake and free sweet pancake with any savoury one bought. Just book a table with promo code PANCAKE to enjoy!

Jamies Italian, The Lanes

To celebrate Pancake Day Jamies are giving away free Italian-style crespelle pancakes! They’ve got two delicious toppings to choose from – Blueberries with whipped crème fraîche & blueberry compote or Chocolate with extra chocolate sauce, whipped crème fraîche, smashed caramel popcorn & hazelnut praline. Numbers are limited so don’t miss out – all you have to do is show this post to your server to claim a free pancake for everyone on your table. Happy Pancake Day!

(Terms and Conditions: one free pancake available per customer only. Customer must present promotional email, social media post or quote Jamie Oliver message in order to redeem their free pancake. Limited availability – offer is available on a first come, first served basis. Offer available in all Jamie’s Italian UK restaurants on Tuesday 13 February 2018 only. No purchase necessary.)

Curry Leaf Cafe, The Lanes and Kemptown

Available at both CLC The Lanes and The Curry Leaf Cafe in Kemptown. If you’re craving some serious crêpe action, look no further than the classic Masala Dosa.

Moksha Caffe, York Place

Moksha Caffe on York Place also serve an American style pancake as part of their brunch menu, choose from blueberry and maple syrup, banana and toffee sauce or a vegan and gluten-free banana apple and blueberry.

The Trading Post, Central Brighton

The Trading Post coffee house in the lanes features a range of pancakes on the menu with toppings such as smoked back bacon with pecans, blueberries and maple syrup or a sweet treat Cherry Bakewell pancake with cherry compote and almonds… make sure to enjoy a cup of coffee also as they roast their beans on site.

Smokey’s, Brighton Seafront

Smokey’s American Restaurant is another ‘pancake paradise’ which although isn’t solely a pancake restaurant, it’s American Blueberry pancakes alone are definitely worth the visit. Smothered in maple syrup with added bacon as an option, these bad boys truly are a taste of American heaven. With a seafront view, and a classic jukebox playing in the background, I can’t think of a better way to spend the morning or afternoon for that matter (brunch is served until 2pm in the week and 3pm at the weekends).

The New Club, Brighton Seafront

Sticking to the seafront and to the American,The New Club in Brighton is a trendy eatery which combines the cool, indie feel of an LA coffee house with the hip feel of a New York bar and diner. They are not afraid to be different and offer a savoury pancake dish as well as a super healthy sweet option. Oak smoked salmon and poached eggs on sweet pea pancakes with a herb cream cheese or a sweet Chantilly cream with berry compote and maple syrup. Would it be wrong to have a two-course brunch and get both? I don’t think so.

Eat pancakes for a good cause at Hisbe

Helen from Brighton Butter company will join local flour producer, Michael Hanson of Bread for Life to make free sourdough pancakes in HISBE food store on London Road.  All proceeds will go to the One Church Brighton Homeless Fund. Helen and Michael will be using their locally made ingredients to make the perfect pancakes.
Drop in between 1 and 5 this Tuesday to get your pancake fix. HISBE is a NUTELLA free zone!

So, just to name a few, there are plenty of places to get your pancake fix this year, whatever floats your boat: American or Crepes, Savoury or sweet. However, if you are going to stay at home and bravely attempt your own pancake paradise, here is a recipe which is apparently foolproof:

4 oz plain flour, sifted

1 egg
½ pint milk
2 oz butter
a pinch of salt
Makes 4 pancakes

A few additional tips: Use a non-stick pan (sounds obvious but a mistake many of us make), use a ladle to pour equal measures into the pan if you don’t want your pancakes to vary in size too much and don’t forget to sweep your kitchen floor before you start tossing!

A Popular UK Tradition

As a nation, the UK will use 52 million eggs this pancake day, 22 million more than any other average day.

We will use 13 million kilos of plain flour and end up scoffing 117 million pancakes. Understandable why the French call it ‘Fat Tuesday’.

Most people love to eat pancakes, but not many people enjoy making them! This may be a generalisation and there may be some of you reading this who want to contest and boast of your expert pancake making skills. But I suspect these people are ‘cheats’ and either use a pancake maker… or go even a step further and buy the ready made ones from M&S. You know who you are. Though I’m not judging.

Lent is the 40 days leading up to Easter where people abstain from ‘sinful’ treats such as fat or sugar. This is why traditionally ‘Shrove Tuesday’ was a day people used up ingredients in their cupboards such as fats, eggs, flour and sugar… hence the pancakes.

Mardi Gras and Pancake Day

There was even a bell which was rung to call people to confession which was termed ‘the pancake bell’ and still is today. Another term for this day is in fact ‘Mardi Gras’ which means ‘Fat Tuesday’ in French. Most people know ‘Mardi Gras’ as the carnival that takes place in New Orleans (and other parts of the world) but don’t realise it’s connection with ‘pancake day’.

In the UK, a traditional pancake will be more ‘crepe’ like than our American friends across the water. Their pancakes are smaller but fatter. The pancake is much more of an all year round food in the US too, as it is a typical breakfast dish, most commonly with bacon and maple syrup or blueberries.

Happy flipping!