Pancake Day is for memories, mess and eating pancakes all day long!

Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday is the one day of the year when it’s totally acceptable to eat pancakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner and nobody bats an eyelid! In fact it’s encouraged. If anything, people look at you oddly if you don’t join in. I love it and I always have. For me Pancake Day isn’t just about the pancakes, it’s about the memories, the smells and the flipping disasters.

Some of my earliest Pancake Day memories involve standing on a chair at the kitchen counter, watching my Grandad make our pancakes. I watched the pan like a hawk while he told me not to touch it. The smell of the batter hitting a hot pan is one of those smells that instantly takes me back, that and the lemon juice. Sharp, zingy and eye watering if you sniff it too closely! It was always so exciting with plates at the ready and my grandad cooking pancakes until we had our fill!

For a long time I bought ready-made pancakes, straight out of the packet, they had a quick blast in the microwave and that was it. It was easier when the kids were little. Then I levelled up to the pre-mixed pancake mix. Add milk, shake the bottle and pour it into the pan. I felt very fancy, there was still minimal effort involved but it felt closer to proper pancakes. Now, I make the batter from scratch with flour, eggs, milk and a bit of hope that it all works out. I don’t measure perfectly. I go by look and feel. If it pours nicely and doesn’t look like wallpaper paste, we’re good and if it does, I add more milk in and we pretend it was supposed to happen like that.

I think the only reason I can make pancakes as well as I do is because of the pan I use. I got it a few years ago from Iceland. (The shop not the country). They had an offer on in the run-up to pancake day with the pan, some toppings and ready mix for £5. The next year I bought another pan and they are the best frying pans I've ever had. They never stick and are the perfect size for pancakes!

Lemon juice and sugar is the classic topping for pancakes. Fresh lemon juice, a sprinkle of sugar rolled up while still warm. Sweet, sharp and simple. There’s something about that first bite where the sugar crunches slightly and the lemon makes your mouth water but pancakes with lemon juice and golden syrup are my favourite, they always feel a little indulgent. Sticky fingers, syrup dripping down the sides, plates that need a proper soak afterwards and it's totally worth it!

A simple pancake recipe!

This is my go-to recipe but I usually double it, so there's enough for the 4 of us.

You’ll need:

100g plain flour

2 large eggs

300ml milk

A pinch of salt

A little oil or butter for the pan

How I make them:

Pop the flour and salt into a bowl.

Crack in the eggs and add a splash of the milk.

Whisk until smooth, then gradually add the rest of the milk.

Keep whisking until you’ve got a thin batter, similar to single cream.

Let it rest for 10 to15 minutes in the fridge if you have time and remember.

Heat your pan, wipe with a bit of oil and pour in a ladle of batter.

Swirl the pan to spread it thin.

Cook for about a minute, flip, then cook the other side.

Repeat until you’re full or out of batter.

While lemon juice and golden syrup will always be my top topping Pancake Day is the perfect excuse to branch out a bit. Here are some of my families favourites:

Nutella - melted slightly so it spreads easily.

Fresh strawberries - especially with a dusting of sugar.

Bananas and honey - simple and sweet.

Biscoff spread - because it’s amazing.

Maple syrup - not traditional, but still delicious.

Chocolate chips - sprinkled onto the pancake while cooking.

I like doing a little toppings table so everyone can build their own. It gets messy but it is fun with everyone putting their own toppings on.

Pancake Day is a little moment in the year when we stop, gather in the kitchen and do something simple together. It doesn’t matter if the pancakes are misshapen or the first pancake I cook is rubbish because it always is. That’s all part of it. It’s the laughter, the shared plates and then I’ll just have one more that turns into three. Hehehe

Will you be having pancakes today?

Our weekly meal plan! 16th - 22nd February!! #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday and I mean that, I can feel this week is going to be a good week! Stu is off work, Ellie is off college for half term and Becky is home for a couple of days too. I love it when everyone is here, even if it does mean the kettle never gets a break and the snack cupboard gets raided every ten minutes. We’ve got a busy week ahead. It’s Pancake Day, Stu and I have a little treat planned, there are jobs around the house to do and we’re finally painting the dining room. I say finally because it's been on our to-do list for about six years! It's going to be a busy, busy week and I am happy about it!

Last weeks meal plan went well. I think we ate everything? Last Monday seems such a long time ago, all my days have felt pretty samey lately. I am blaming the rain and gloomy weather we've been having but just to add some fun to it we are forecast snowy/icy weather yesterday and today. I suppose it will make a change from the rain. I'm totally done with the weather, can it not be spring already? Spring showers are fine, at least the sun usually shines a little more.

This week, because we're all mostly at home I am still planning our meals but will be more relaxed about when we are eating them! The only certainty is that it will be pancakes on Tuesday!

On the menu this week we have:

Pancakes!

We’ll be having the thin, crepe-style pancakes. The kind you flip in the pan. Ours will be topped with the classics: golden syrup, lemon and sugar and Nutella. I’ve got a whole post about them coming tomorrow about pancake day!

Minced Beef Crispy Pancakes, chips and baked beans!

Now these are not to be confused with the sweet ones. These are savoury, breadcrumb coated beauties filled with minced beef and onion in gravy. They are a total blast from the past. I used to love them as a kid, they’re not fancy but with chips and baked beans they hit the spot!

Chicken Kiev's, mashed potato and veg.

The Kievs are coming straight out of the freezer, which is exactly why I bought them. You can’t beat having a few easy meals tucked away for busy weeks. Crispy on the outside, garlicky butter in the middle and mashed potato is a must with these to mop up any runaway garlic butter. I’ll probably do carrots and sweetcorn on the side.

Something from town!

This one is very much a see how I feel meal. I’m having my contraceptive implant changed and I already know I won’t feel like cooking afterwards. Last time I had at least one sore arm. It all depends where they put the new one. Same arm or the other arm? I'm going to be kind to myself and pick something up while I’m in town. Maybe sausage rolls from Greggs or Subway sandwiches.

Stu & I are out while the kids fend for themselves!

Stu and I are going on a little jaunt and treating ourselves to something nice. I’m keeping quiet about the details because it’s a surprise for him, but I’m really looking forward to it. The girls can fend for themselves which will probably end up with them ordering a take away!

Stu is cooking!

At least one evening this week, Stu has promised he’ll do the cooking. I don’t know what we’re having and I’m not asking. It will be a surprise.

A roast dinner!

It seems ages since we last had one. There will be meat of some sort, mashed potatoes, roast parsnips, carrots, peas, broccoli, Yorkshire puddings, stuffing and maybe cauliflower cheese.

What are you eating this week?

A photo every day for a year! 8th -14th February Week 7 of #Project365

Happy Sunday! I hope you are all having a good weekend. Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and Stu and I had the most romantic of days, shopping for paint. I know, try not to be jealous. Hahaha. It wasn’t the whole day. We actually had a really lovely time. We had a wander around the shops, picked up the paint we needed for the house and a few other bits that weren't on our list. We grabbed a bite to eat while we were out but the best bit of the day was that the sun was shining! It has felt like forever since we saw a proper bright day, so it really did lift my mood. We finished the day having a lovely meal at home.

Today we have absolutely no plans and I could not be happier about it. After being out and about yesterday and knowing we have a busy week ahead, today is all about doing as little as possible. PJs all day, a lot of TV and snacks!

Now for a photo every day!

39/365 8th February

Using the wise words of Sanka: "I’m feeling very Olympic today." Hehehe. I spent a good few hours on Sunday watching the Winter Olympics. After watching the athletes flying down icy tracks at ridiculous speeds, I decided there was only one film we could possibly watch next, Cool Runnings! It had to be done. Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up, it's bobsled time!

40/365 9th February

Last week I sorted through some photos and chose a few to get printed. I take so many photos but they just sit there forgotten about. This week I finally put them into the frames in the living room. It’s such a small thing but there were fresh memories on the wall and new smiles looking back at us.

41/365 10th February

I remember constantly changing light bulbs years ago, now they seem to last forever. So when the living room light started flickering on Tuesday, I knew its time was up. I can usually sit in the dark but the gloomy weather made it too dark and the thought of going into the garage to get a new bulb filled me with dread because of all the spiders, so I stole the bulb from the dining room instead. Eventually, Ellie went into the spider headquarters and retrieved a new bulb. What a hero!

42/365 11th February

This photo pretty much sums up my outdoor life lately. Standing at the back door, looking out. That’s about as far as I’m willing to go. The cobwebs behind the back gate were covered in tiny rain droplets and they did look quite pretty. Tell me I'm not the only one fed up with all the rain?

43/365 12th February

I smell like the 90s. Hehehe. I treated myself to some Dewberry spray from The Body Shop and was hit with nostalgia! The second I sprayed it, I was transported straight back to my teenage years. I had to get the shower gel too, a little treat for no reason other than I wanted it.

44/365 13th February

Becky, my eldest received some beautiful flowers for Valentine’s Day and they came with a teddy as well. She was so happy. The flowers were stunning and brightened up the whole room. Then yesterday I cam home to a bunch that Stu had ordered and had delivered for me! I felt very loved!

45/365 14th February

Stu and I had a romantic meal out, well as romantic as it gets in Costa. Hahaha It was nice it being just the two of us and the bacon sandwich that I had was pretty good! I could just eat it again! 

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This week my Word of the Week is: Rain!! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

It has to be! I’ve grumbled about it all year but now I’m properly over it and need to have a full-on moan. It has been relentless. January 2026 was officially the wettest on record here in the UK and it seems like the rain just refuses to take a break. I read somewhere that some places have had rain every single day this year! I can’t remember the last time there was a day that didn’t involve some sort of drizzle or downpour and sunshine now feels like a long, lost memory!

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the rain sometimes. I love it in the evenings, especially when I don’t have to go outside. There’s something about the sound of rain tapping against the window that makes me want to grab a blanket, a mug of hot chocolate and light a candle. It feels peaceful but when it has been raining as much as it has, it stops being fun! Right now, the rain is ruining my days. I can’t get out into the garden to give it a tidy, I don’t feel like going for walks and my mood is about as damp as the weather itself.

When I do make the effort and pop out it's no fun! I’ll step out and it seems OK, just a fine drizzle and then five minutes later, it chucks it down so hard I’m soaked through to my bones by the time I reach the end of the street. On the plus side, it’s an excellent excuse to come home, throw on my PJs and settle in with a hot chocolate because something good has to come of this stupid weather!

It’s never the same kind of rain though. There’s the fine, misty rain, which doesn’t seem like much but somehow gets you drenched before you’ve even got to the end of the path. There’s the spitting rain which arrives just when you think the sun might make an appearance. Then there is the torrential rain which makes me go running around the house making sure the girls have shut their bedroom windows and somewhere in between all of that, there’s the grey drizzle that just goes on and on draining my energy.

Poor Stu always seems to get the worst of the rain, it always seems to come down heavier early in the morning and he gets soaked on his way to work. He’s a trooper, bless him and has a good coat with a big hood but that doesn’t stop him coming home in a coat that hasn’t dried and is cold and damp. I can’t help feeling sorry for him, though I do secretly enjoy teasing him for coming in soggy but don't you feel sorry for him, he pays me back by trying to give me a cuddle while he still has the cold, wet coat on.

It’s strange how rain can be both relaxing and exhausting at the same time. I find myself wanting it when I want a quiet moment and dreading it when I have things to do. It's making me lazy, I’ve noticed that on rainy days, all I want to do is curl up under a blanket and watch something mindless on TV and when the sun peeks out, even a little, it’s like a little boost pushing me to get moving, tidy up or go for a short walk but with this much rain lately, those little bursts of energy are few and far between.

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one! I am of course linking up with Anne who blogs at Raisie Bay to join in with her Word of the Week linky!