Happy Pancake Day!

Happy Pancake Tuesday! To celebrate this joyous occasion, we would like to finally put the age old argument to bed: who makes better pancakes, the British or Americans? For those of you who didn’t know, the UK and the USA vary slightly in how they cook up their hotcakes. British pancakes resemble a crêpe, due to the lack of raising agent. When it comes to toppings, they leave syrup to the North Americans: an antiseptic squirt of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar will do the trick. American pancakes, on the other hand, are thick and fluffy and almost always doused with Aunt Jemima. Here is a great recipe for each style of pancake, so you can decide for yourself. British-style Pancakes (Recipe from BBC Food) Ingredients For the pancakes 4oz sifted plain flour Pinch of salt 2 eggs 7fl oz milk mixed with 3fl oz water 2oz butter To serve Caster sugar Lemon juice Lemon wedge Preparation

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve. Making a well in the centre (British spelling for a British recipe), break the eggs into it and begin to whisk the eggs, incorporating flour from the edge of the bowl as you go.
2. Gradually pour in the milk and water mixture, still whisking. Ensuring to get all the flour from the sides of the bowl, whisk until smooth. Melt 2oz of butter in a pan and spoon 2 Tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, using the rest to coat the pan.
3. Get the pan really hot then turn the heat down to medium. Pour about 2 Tbsp of batter into the pan and tip it around in a circular motion to get the base evenly coated with batter. Let it cook for about 30 seconds (or until slightly golden), flip with a palette knife and cook the other side.
4. To serve, sprinkle each pancake with lemon juice and sugar. Then fold it in half, then in half again to form triangles. Sprinkle the top with more lemon juice and sugar, add a lemon wedge, and enjoy!

American-style Pancakes (Recipe from foodnetwork.com) Ingredients 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1 ¼ cups milk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons unsalted butter Preparation

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, beat the eggs and whisk in the milk and vanilla.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
4. Whisk the butter into the milk mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until the batter is thick.
5. Keeping the skillet at medium heat, pour ¼ cup batter onto the skillet. Cook until bubbles break the surface of the pancake and the undersides are golden brown. Flip with a spatula and cook for 1 more minute.
6. Serve with butter and syrup.