All the answers to the Quiz will be within this information. The Mission is explained in the attached image. But you know the drill. It’s that thing that makes holes in ….. oh sorry not that drill. Ahem. Same format as previous adventures, different situation.

The history of Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day

Shrove Tuesday is a Christian festival celebrated in many countries across the globe. It always falls on a Tuesday before the beginning of ‘Lent’, a period of 6 weeks leading up to Easter.

The actual date changes from year to year but it is always 47 days before Easter Sunday.

The name comes from the old word ‘shriving’, which means to listen to someone’s sins and forgive them. In Anglo-Saxon England, Christians would go to church on Shrove Tuesday to confess their sins and clean their soul. In other words, they would be ‘shriven’.

In the UK, Ireland, Australia and Canada it has another name ‘Pancake Day’.

Christians would give up rich and tasty foods such as butter, eggs, sugar and fat for Lent and Shrove Tuesday was the last chance to eat them.

There are usually pancake races on Shrove Tuesday involving people running a race while tossing pancakes in their frying pan.

So were did it originate? Well way back in 1445 in the town of Onley in Buckhamshire, England a woman was so busy making her pancakes that she lost track of time. When she heard the church bells ringing for Shrove Tuesday mass, she ran as fast as she could to get there and arrived still carrying her pancake in the pan.

Pancake Day has become so popular there’s an estimated 52 million eggs used in the UK alone on this day!

Pancake Day has different names in other countries. In Germany it’s Fastnacht (meaning eve of the fast). In Iceland it’s Sprengidagur (meaning bursting day), in France and some other countries the festival is called Mardi Gras from the French phrase meaning Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras as we know means party time!

In the countries that celebrate Mardi Gras there are vibrant street parties featuring live bands, colourful parades and elaborate costumes. Some of the most famous Mardi Gras are in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro and Venice.

So when you make your pancakes now you’ll know the history of the humble pancake and how Pancake Day is celebrated all over the world.

And this is not part of the intel, just thought you’d like our recipe for perfect pancakes!

Pancake Recipe
100g plain flour

2 eggs

300ml semi-skimmed milk

Pinch of salt

1tbsp sunflower/vegetable oil

Butter for frying

Bowl
Whisk/fork

Frying pan
Ladle

Fish slice

Yummy toppings – such as lemon, chocolate spread, marshmallows, fruit, or whatever you fancy!

• 1) Take a bowl and pour in the milk and oil, then break in the eggs. Now take the whisk and beat the ingredients together to make a frothy mixture with NO lumps!

• 2) Once that’s done, take another bowl and mix together the flour and a pinch of salt with your hands. Messy!

• 3) Now slowly pour the liquid into the middle of the flour mixture, whisking all the time, until the batter you’re making is quite runny. If it’s a little lumpy, keep whisking away until your pancake mix is nice and smooth just like a new born pups tummy!

• 4) Now the easy bit, melt your butter in your pan and pour a little of your batter into the centre, use a little for crepes or more for thicker pancakes.

• 5) Swirl the pan to spread the batter around the whole pan and leave for a couple of minutes for the underside of the pancake to brown, then slip your fish slice under the pancake and flip it over, or if you’re feeling adventurous shake the pan to loosen the pancake then flip the pan up with enough force to eject the pancake upward and catch it on it’s way down hopefully with the browned side up.

• 6) When the second side is browned slide the pancake onto a waiting plate and sprinkle with sugar and a little lemon and roll it up into a sausage shape, or spread any topping you like and just stack your pancakes on top of each other. You can use anything for the topping from fruits to syrup, lemon juice, lime juice, or chocolate hazelnut spread. You can even put prawns on them or crab meat and some boiled rice. Whatever floats your boat, or tickles your taste buds!

See you Sunday pals. Take care out there!