I must admit Pancake Day passed me by for years. After some disastrous attempts as a teen (with more flipped onto the floor than my plate), I gave up.
But, with the arrival of two pancake-loving children, and now they're a weekly treat - often for both Saturday and Sunday breakfasts.
Admittedly, my husband makes them most weekends, but when push comes to shove I'll make a batch of fluffy American beauties (the thin crepes still end up on the floor or in the dog).
Over the years, we've tried a lot of recipes and have some solid favourites, so I'd say we had pancake day pretty much covered.
What topping are you having on yours? 🍓🍋🍫
— Belle Vale Shopping (@BelleValeSC) February 28, 2022
Get prepped for Pancake Day tomorrow, with Home Bargains' Jane Asher Pancake Mix just 69p, and Crepe Pan only £3.99 🥞#PancakeDay #Pancakes pic.twitter.com/x4RsEJGhsK
So when my eight-year-old kept asking if we could buy a bottle of 75p Jane Asher pancake mix in a shaky bottle that she'd seen by the till in Home Bargains, it's been a firm 'no'.
Why would we buy a bottle full of ingredients we already have at home?
But, pester power won out this week, and I finally agreed. How bad could the weird pancake bottle thing be, I pondered. And at 75p it was a steal.
It turned out not that bad at all.
It has all the stuff you need already in the bottle, and you just add milk, shake, and pour it into the pan. I was dubious - surely it was just going to be a load of gloopy gunk?
We followed the instructions to the letter (be sure to leave it for the 3-5 minutes specified so it has time to absorb any lumps) and poured out a pretty good batter.
In the pan, each one turned a pretty golden colour, even if I overcooked them slightly, and the texture was pretty much perfect.
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Not for the first time, I was completely wrong.
For 75p, plus the price of some milk, it made four big pancakes. And the best bit of all? Because we hadn't used a bowl, there wasn't even any notable washing up.
While I'll still do the big thick American stack at the weekends, for Pancake Day and evenings when we want a treat after dinner, Jane Asher might just be my new best friend.
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