Long are the days where I would waste precious hours on Pancake Day slaving in the kitchen to prepare two dozen pancakes that would be eaten in…2 minutes. Rather frustrating isn’t it? So this year, for the first time, I will use ready-made ones. Not even the ones that come out of a plastic bottle and take 5 mins to cook. No, I’ll use frozen ones that take 1 minute to be ready. Rather lazy and certainly not the ‘real thing’ but will save me lots of time I can use to eat pancakes myself instead of trying to keep up with requests for ‘another one’ without actually eating any. Nah!
Aunt Bessie makes such pancakes. They send us some samples and recipes, including the rather interesting one below for “Barbequed pancakes”. Well, why not…
So enjoy and bon appétit!
SWEET PANCAKES WITH BERRY JAM
Preparation time : 10 minutes
1 pkt Aunt Bessie’s Traditional Pancakes
8 tbsp strawberry or raspberry jam
50g/2oz butter melted
icing sugar
To serve :
fresh berries
vanilla ice-cream
Thaw the pancakes in the refrigerator. Spread each pancakes with a tablespoon of jam of your choice, then fold the pancakes in half.
These pancakes can be set aside covered with cling film until needed. Brush the pancakes lightly on each side with melted butter and dust with icing sugar.
Place on a pre-heated barbecue. Cook for about 1 minute (this will depend on the heat of the barbecue), flip each over and cook for a further 30 seconds. Transfer to serving plates serve with some extra fresh fruits and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.
These pancakes can also be cooked on a hot griddle pan, be careful though, the jam may ooze out and burn in the pan if cooking a batch.
CRISPY CHOCOLATE PANCAKES
Preparation time: 10 minutes
A fabulous combination of chocolate and nuts, wrapped in crisp pancakes – guaranteed to melt anyone’s heart!
1 pkt Aunt Bessie’s Traditional Pancakes
11 tbsp chocolate spread such as Nutella
25g/1oz butter, melted
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
90ml/3 fl oz double cream
50g/2oz hazelnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)
Re-heat the pancakes as directed. Spread each with a tablespoon of the chocolate spread then, fold each pancake in half then in half again to create triangle shape. Arrange them in a buttered baking dish. Brush with the butter and scatter over the sugar
Heat the remaining chocolate spread with the cream in a small saucepan, stir until smooth, lower the heat and simmer until slightly thickened.
Place the baking dish under a hot grill and cook for 3-4 minutes until the edges of the pancakes are crispy. Serve with the sauce and hazelnuts scattered over, if wished.
STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM PANCAKES
Preparation time : 10 minutes
The ultimate summer combination, but with a twist! Sweet succulent strawberries, wrapped in piping hot pancakes.
1 pkt Aunt Bessie’s Traditional Pancakes
450g punnet strawberries
1 tbsp caster sugar
90ml/3 fl oz sweet sherry or orange juice
300ml/½ pint whipping cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
Wash, hull and slice the strawberries, put into a dish, add the caster sugar then pour over the sherry or orange juice, allow to stand a few minutes to develop the flavour and allow the juices to run.
Meanwhile, whip the cream with the icing sugar and warm the pancakes as directed on the packet.
To serve, place a dollop of cream in the middle of each pancakes, pile over the strawberries then gently fold over in half, serve at once.
BANANAS AND CREAM
Preparation time ; 10 minutes
A classic combination of childhood favourites, mixed with gooey toffee sauce – comfort food at its best!
1 pkt Aunt Bessie’s Traditional Pancakes
4 ripe bananas
2 tbsp Demerara sugar
300ml / ½ pt double cream
Toffee sauce
Peel the bananas and put into a bowl with the sugar, mash with a fork.
Whip the cream until peaking and fold into the bananas.
Warm the pancakes and spoon on the bananas and cream then roll up. Place on serving plates and drizzle over the toffee sauce.
For more ideas, check www.auntbessies.co.uk.
hildcare costs are severely denting the budget of millions of parents, but I don’t find the latest government proposals helpful. In fact, I find the plans to offer parents of pre-school children loans of up to £10,000 to pay for childcare absolutely outrageous. These loans would be paid for at an interest rate of 3 per cent above inflation, taken straight from the parent’s taxable income. If the loan starts at £10,000 in 2012, what will it look like in 2, or even 10 years time when you take into account interest payments and inflation? These loans would put already-struggling parents into even more debt
