I’m a Kiwi who’s new to Pancake Day and I’ve always eaten a more American-style pancake, so I took the opportunity to try some of the more ‘traditional’ toppings I’ve seen here in the UK
I’m a big fan of pancakes, but being from New Zealand, my idea of a ‘proper pancake’ is a bit different. I’ve been told that what I consider a pancake is more American-style – thick and fluffy, served with crispy bacon, maple syrup, berries, and if I’m feeling particularly indulgent, fresh whipped cream.
The concept of Pancake Day is new to me, but I love the idea. A day dedicated to the best breakfast food in the world, with some religious undertones I don’t fully grasp? Count me in.
For my first Pancake Day in the UK, I decided to try some of the more ‘traditional’ pancakes that Brits are used to. I got my topping ideas from my colleagues and friends, and below are my rankings in the order I tried them.
To avoid overdoing it, I tried two sweet toppings and one savoury.
Lemon and caster sugar
I must admit, my mum is a born and bred Brit, so this is one I have tried before but haven’t had since I was very young. I have fond memories of mum making pancakes on the weekend and serving them with plenty of both, so I was excited to revisit this one as an adult.
After a generous sprinkling of sugar and a slightly less generous squeeze of lemon, I dug in and this topping took me right back to being five years old in sunny New Zealand. The vibrant taste bursts in your mouth and makes all the tastebuds dance in bittersweet harmony.
I was absolutely smitten with this, and in fact, I served myself up another straight after just to keep the good vibes going. I feel like having a thin British-style pancake lends itself to this more delicate topping and although I am usually a more is more person, I can definitely see the joy in the simple things with this one.
An absolute ten out of ten right off the bat, and writing this is making me crave another one.
Nutella and strawberries
This was a peculiar combination to me, and not one I would ever choose for myself but it was recommended to me by two separate people so I had to give it a go.
Spreading the Nutella on the pancake was challenging and I think if I was to try it again I might try and warm the spread up a bit for a more even application and less sticky hands, but I got it done. A sprinkling of chopped strawberries was layered lightly over the top and I went for the rolling technique to create a sort of pancake burrito.
While the combination wasn’t one I would have thought of myself, it’s entering my regular rotation now because it was just gorgeous. Definitely more luxurious than then lemon and sugar and much richer, but equally delicious.
Texturally, however, I’m not a Nutella fan. It’s got a similar consistency to peanut butter and I don’t like the way it tries valiantly to stick my tongue to the roof of my mouth.
For that, Nutella and strawberries get a slight markdown, but I’d still definitely give it another crack. 8/10.
Ham and cheddar cheese
I saved this one until last because I really, really didn’t want to do it. The idea of a fully savoury pancake goes against everything I stand for. Pancakes should be a decadent treat not a dinner.
The downside of leaving this until last was that by the time I got to sprinkling my pancake with cheddar cheese, there was no residual heat to melt the cheese, and the thin, anaemic slices of ham were stone cold too. My friends watched me prepare this pancake and offered me their sympathies as well as their strong recommendations that I should heat the pancake up and melt the cheese but in all honesty, I was full of sugar and really couldn’t be bothered walking the ten steps to the kitchen to do so, so a stone cold cheese and ham pancake wrap it was. After as much delay as I could get away with, I took my first cautionary nibble and was pleasantly surprised. While definitely not a favourite of mine, I can see why people do this. The ham and cheese was a good combination and the addition of the thin pancake was a good vehicle for the salty flavours.
I think it benefited from being cold too – heating and melting the cheese ran the risk of the whole thing becoming a greasy mess.All in all, this was not nearly as terrible as I thought it would be, and although it wouldn’t be a first choice of mine, I’d probably eat it again if there weren’t any other sweeter options. Overall, ham and cheese gets a 6/10.
