
Jamie's Head of Food Styling, Ginny Rolfe, says, “I love throwing a pancake party for my family – it’s a real favourite with everyone. I like to cook the pancakes to order – I think they taste better straight from the pan – so I’ll set up the table in the kitchen, so I can carry on chatting while I cook.”
WHICH PANCAKE?
The big question is, what type of pancake to go for – American-style fluffy, or traditional crepes? Well, my children love American-style pancakes, and these are the most robust and fail-safe ones to make. Crepes are a little more delicate, so you need to keep a closer eye on them in the pan – but they’re my favourite for Pancake Day.
HOW MUCH?
The one-cup pancake recipe is great for four people – if you have more guests, then double it. And you don’t need to leave it to settle. You can use the batter straight away. You can even make the American-style pancake batter, then if you have a guest who would prefer crepes, then simply add more milk to thin it down.
HOT HOT HOT!
Pancakes are cooked over a medium heat, but you do need to keep an eye on the temperature of the pan, because as you make more pancakes, the warmer it will be – and so the quicker the pancakes will cook. As I said, American-style pancake batter is more robust than crepes, so you should have great pancakes from the very first you make, but if you’re making crepes, use the first one to test the batter and how the pan is cooking. Any that don’t come out perfect are mine to eat!
KEEP IT CLEAN
One tip is to keep wiping out the pan between pancakes, so the butter or oil you have in there doesn’t burn/discolour. I love the flavour that butter gives pancakes, but it can burn – so you could do a mix of butter and oil to help stabilise it (oil can heat to a much higher temperature before burning). And use simple olive oil, not extra virgin.
TABLE TOPPINGS
I love to serve up my toppings on the table, for my guests to enjoy. I like to offer a mixture of fruit, sugar, yoghurt and nuts. Seasonal fruit is particularly good, so here I’ve gone for rhubarb, but you can go with whatever you like. My favourite topping is lemon and sugar on a crepe, and bacon and maple syrup on an American-style pancake – delicious!
The Jamie Oliver Big Love range is now on sale in John Lewis, and will be available to buy on JamieOliver.com soon. Watch this space!