It’s that time of year! Yes, Valencakes has come round again – that tasty and glorious day when we celebrate our love for the pancake. Traditionally, by making it dinner.
It’s possible that some of you will think you don’t need to make an effort with your pancake. It’s been years, you may reason: individual pancakes may have come and gone, but on an overall, symbolic level, you know that you and the pancake are indissolubly joined in a serious, long-term relationship. Nothing but dieting can part you. So why give in to this one commercially-mandated day when you and your pancake can be together any time? Pancakes, you may argue, aren’t just for Shrove Tuesday. They’re for any time of year. Wrapped up with goat’s cheese and spinach, they make a delectably savoury November snack; decorated with chopped banana and rainbow sprinkles, they are happy to accompany your summer lunch. You pay attention to your pancake all the time, you say: it won’t mind if on this particular Tuesday you decided you fancy a steak instead.
Don’t give in to that voice. Don’t neglect your Shrove Tuesday pancake. It might not seem to matter, but then next year you’ll decided to have a chicken salad, and the year after a burrito, and before you know it you’ll forget when Shrove Tuesday even happens. In a few years’ time you’ll find you’ve forgotten your pancake recipe. And even if you could remember it, you’re out of milk and your flour has weevils in. You shrug, and eat a sandwich instead. And slowly, silently, in a gentle collapse of batter, love dies.
Of course, the method of celebration is up to the individual. I like to send a bouquet of lemons sprinkled with sugar to the most attractive pancake I know. This combines both a romantic gesture and a practical one, since you can then use the bouquet as a delicious topping for your beloved. Other gifts could include chocolate spread – again both thoughtful and deliciously practical – or romantically red strawberry jam. There are few things more appealing than the sight of a shy yet excited pancake covered from end to end in juicy berries, waiting for your knife and fork. For extra romance, spread the jam in a heart shape. Your pancake will appreciate the sweetness, and so will you.
So happy Valencake Day. And make that batter matter.
Berries are red, berries are blue, you look very sweet, I want to eat you.
