Gizzi Erskine shared her ultimate recipe for proper British pancakes for the upcoming Pancake Day, which she makes every single year. The chef and TV personality created the recipe nearly twenty years ago when working as a cookery assistant for BBC Good Food.
She detailed how she’d make the recipe thousands of times for the hungry staff on Pancake Day, and it was so delicious she’d go back and make it year after year for the team. In a recent TikTok video, Gizzi said: “It’s Pancake Day this Tuesday, and if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know two things about me: that it’s my favourite time of year, and I have the best proper Pancake Day recipe under the sun and over the years it’s been shared millions of times by you lot and I thank you for that.”
To complete Gizzi’s recipe, you’ll need just six ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard and fridge. She continued: “I used to have to make thousands of pancakes for all the BBC staff on the morning of Shrove Tuesday, and I got asked back to do it year after year.
“It all comes down to a good base, and I tried and tested this a million times. I guess it’s a bit of a hybrid between the Leiths’ recipe mixed with a bit of Delia and a bit of Gizzi magic. These are the real pancakes you should be eating on Pancake Day.
“I get really sad when I see people eating the American-style breakfast pancakes.”
She went on to explain the difference between British pancakes and the rest of the world. Gizzi said: “British pancakes are like a crepe but they’re smaller and slightly thicker. They get lacy on one size and then brown and bubbly on the other.”
To top it all off, the chef topped her pancakes with classic lemon and sugar. Gizzi’s recipe video has already been viewed over 15,300 times.
B wrote: “So traditional, reminds me of my childhood, I can also smell the sugar and lemon.”
While Squibsie said, “Best pancakes, make them every year,” while another agreed, “I use it EVERY YEAR! Thanks Gizzi.”
To raise your Pancake Day game this year, this is what you’ll need to recreate Gizzi’s proper British pancakes at home.
Proper British Pancakes
Makes five to six
Ingredients
- 110g plain flour
- A pinch of salt
- A large pinch of sugar
- 1 tbsp melted butter (or oil)
- 1 large egg, plus one large egg yolk
- 300 ml of milk.
- Butter/ghee/oil for frying
Method
Mix your dry ingredients. Mix your eggs into the dry and then quickly whisk in the butter and milk.
Fry by getting your small crepe pan hot by wiping it with butter. Fry the pancakes.
Serve hot. Serve with the classic British topping: lemon and sugar.
