Of pancakes and crepes (a bit of waffle)

When I was a kid I hated Lent. No sweets, no chocolate and fish every Wednesday and Friday. But there was a bright side. Pancake Tuesday.

My mother made the best pancakes ever. And for some reason, maybe the fact that she had leftover flour and that she needed to use the six dozen eggs she had bought, she would continue to dole out pancakes for the rest of the time until Easter Sunday, almost as if the humble pancake wasn't breaking any Lenten rules. The amazing thing was that the pancakes just kept getting better as if she was honing her skills with the pan.

I remember when I first decided to try them out. I mean a pancake is basic. Can't be that hard to make. At a time of no internet or google, a cookery book was my source and I set about following the formula. A few frying pans later and a few near misses with the fire-brigade, I had mastered the art of making the simple yet effective pancake. How hard is it? Flour, eggs, milk and a little sugar and that's it.

Except it's not. Each time I go at it again, it takes me a while to perfect the heat in the pan, the mixture, the consistency. Eventually I get it right and my god, if I say so myself, I make great pancakes.

Handball is like pancakes.

It's a formula. You find the ingredients, you follow the method and sure as eggs is eggs, you should end up with the perfect product.

Except it's never that easy. It takes time. Sometimes you overdo it on this position and undercook it on another. But the process is what makes it fun. When you eventually have the basic pancake, then you can add your banana or strawberries.

Sometimes if the budget allows you might even splash out on Nutella and cream. It's always gonna give you all it has got and sometimes more. It might take years to be recognised as a true culinary treat, but it's never gonna let you down.

And then there are those of us for whom the simple unpretentious pancake is just not good enough. Oh no! Cooking your own pancake is not the way to go. You need to head down to the five star patisserie and buy a crepe. Now crepes are tasty. They are thin and sexy whereas a pancake is your old aunt Mildred.

The crepe is presented in a way that makes your mouth water. It is a feast for the eyes and a delectation on the tongue. Buy a crepe in a fancy restaurant and it will come with chocolate sauce and some jus, but it always leaves you feeling a little hard done by, like it hasn't really filled the gap it has left in your wallet.

Let me set the scene for MOTW this Saturday:

The butter square softens around the edges as amber sweetness drips down the stack of steaming pancakes, matching your leisurely Sunday morning pace. Or maybe you order yours at a French café, filled with sugared ricotta or proscuitto and spinach, drizzled with a balsamic glaze.

If this was the popular TV competition "Great British Bake-off", the crepe wins the competition hands down.

But there are those of us who back home cooking every day of the week.  

Or maybe that’s all just waffle...