Tomatoes

Long subject to debate over whether they are a fruit or a vegetable, not to mention countless arguments over pronunciation. But whether you are in the "tomayto" or "tomahto" camp, you'll no doubt agree that the tomato is a very versatile plant, playing double agent as a fruit or vegetable depending on your culinary mood. When tended properly, tomatoes will give you a bounty of fruits to fill  up your freezer and shelves - they can be dried, bottled, made into a variety of sauces, turned into jams and cooked up into chutneys, giving you a taste of sunshine through our bad Irish summers and into the winter months. Tomatoes are also very nutritious. With only 37 calories, 55% of your RDA of vitamin C, 21% of your RDA of vitamin A, 8% of your daily fibery goodness as well as plenty of the anti-oxidant lycopene (which gives the tomato its lovely red colour), as well as all-round goodness, it is no wonder dieticans and doctors recommend tomatoes for weight loss plans and low-cholesterol diets. Lycopene is important as it helps prevent against damage from ultra-violet rays, which can lead to skin cancer, one of the most common cancers in Ireland. One small glass of tomato juice can provide you with your daily dose of lycopene. To grow your own tomatoes, fill a large sturdy pot with good quality compost and plant a tomato seedling in he middle. Tomatoes need support while growing so make sure you plant a sturdy stake next to your tomato as well. Water daily and as it grows, tie the plant to the stake by looping string around the stem, across the ends over each other and looping around the stake in a figure of 8 pattern. As the plant grows, you will need to remove smaller branches growing from the main branches to prevent the plant getting bushy. If it does get bushy, the plant will produce less flowers and therefore less fruit. All tomatoes should be harvested before the first frost.

Tomato Tips
To skin a tomato easily, dip in a saucepan of boiling water for 30 seconds, remove and make a nick in the skin, which should then come away easily.
When frying, add a bit of caster sugar to bring out the flavour.
To ripen green tomatoes, place in a brown paper bag with a ripe apple.

Green Tomatoes
To make fried green tomatoes, slice them and mix with a little oatmeal. Fry in oil and use as an alternative to the traditional tomato in your full Irish or grilled breakfast, or as a snack while you watch the film ;)

To make green tomato jam, roughly chop 1kg tomatoes, place in a bowl, toss in 1kg of sugar and the juice of one lemon then leave overnight in the fridge. Keep the lemon halves.
The next day, pour the mix into a saucepan, add 125ml of water and the lemon halves and boil over a low heat. Allow to boil for 10  minutes, then remove from the heat and discard the lemon halves. Set aside until cool. Once again bring to the boil, continue to boil, checking to see if it has set* every few minutes. Once set has been achieved, remove from the heat and bottle.

*set-chill a saucer, take a clean spoon and place some jam on the saucer. Wait a few seconds and them press. If a skin is forming this means set has been achieved, otherwise you need to boil for another 5 minutes and test again.

Tomato Ketchup
I think most people are like me and love homemade chips with ketchup. I absolutely love homemade ketchup, it tastes far better plus you know exactly what's in it. Even better if you have grown the ingredients yourself. For 2 litres, follow the below recipe.

• 4 chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• olive oil
• 1 head of celery, washed and chopped
• 500g carrots, grated
• 3kg ripe tomatoes
• 125g unbleached white sugar
• 250ml cider vinegar
• few sprigs oregano
• small bunch parsley
• 3 level spoons salt
• pinch cayenne pepper
• pinch black pepper

Fry the onions and garlic in olive oil in a saucepan and when quite soft, add the chopped celery and the grated carrots. Turn the heat down and let simmer for 10 minutes.

While they simmer, skin the tomatoes (see above) and chop them into quarters. Add them to the saucepan. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the remaining ingredients and simmer for a further half hour. Remove from the heat, mash well and leave it cool a bit before blending (or pushing through a sieve). If the mixture is too thick add some water. Return to the heat, bring to the boil and then take it off the heat. Once cool, pour into wide-necked bottles and seal. Store in the fridge.

Edible Plants and Flowers

Something that has been long-forgotten is the art of foraging. I, for one, didn't realise just how many plants could be eaten from the garden and from the wild. When I was small it was a case of staying away from anything that wasn't a blackberry, in case you got sick. Here I'll list some common plants found around the Emerald Isle, along with what you can use them for.


A few rules first of all:

1. If you have asthma or are allergic to flowers, don't try the pollen or flower recipes before as you might have a reaction. even if you don't have allergies, only eat in small quantities just in case, as your system won't be used to flowers.
2. If in doubt, don't eat-many edible plants copy the way a poisonous plant looks to help it survive, just like animals do. If you are thinking of picking mushrooms, don't unless you  really know what you're doing or have an expert with you!
3. Only gather from clean, unsprayed areas-you don't want to end up eating slurry or pesticides!
4. Wash everything thoroughly so you don't end up eating dirt or anything that decided to make it's home in the plant.
5. Never strip a plant bare-take a few leaves, flowers or whatever and move on to a fresh patch. This gives the plants a chance to recover, survive and propagate.
6. If collecting from private land always ask the landowner's permission first, otherwise you run the risk of an angry farmer chasing you with a shotgun!

I want to start off with a few quick plants first. Some of them you will know if you were ever camping, others you may be less familiar with. Beech trees produce soft, tender leaves at the end of Spring, early Summer. These can be eaten raw or brewed into a bitter gin, the recipe for which is below (I also have a recipe for nettle beer, elderflower drinks and daisy wine too further on). The nuts can also be eaten raw.

The following recipe is taken from http://scarlet-pippin.blogspot.com-

A basket full of beech leaves (still pale green and soft to the touch)

Castor sugar 

Gin (Don't use anything dear though, as the subtle flavours that come at that price tag will be lost)

It's probably best to rinse and spin the leaves in a salad spinner, then take a large glass jar or pudding bowl and start to lay the leaves down flat. Fill it up most of the way to the top and then press down with your palms (firmly but gently). Pour over the gin until the leaves are quite covered.  Then cover with greaseproof paper and weight down (don't use metal wights, they'll tarnish).  Put in a dark place and leave for a few weeks.  Then warm very gently (not above a temperature you could comfortably dip your finger in) until all the sugar has dissolved.  Let to cool, pour into a clean bottle or jar and there you are.


The clover that is common in every lawn is also edible-you can toss the leaves in a salad while the flower heads are rich in protein, potassium and vitamin c. They are bitter and hard to digest when eaten raw so they are better boiled. The roots can also be eaten but it is best to boil them first. Alternatively you can pick a few flower heads, steep them in a cup of boiling water for 5 minutes and enjoy some tea, sweetened with honey if you like.


Acorns are also edible, but they need to shelled and boiled a few times as they will taste very bitter otherwise. They can be ground down to make acorn flower also. Wild grasses can also be turned into flower, as can pine nuts. To release the pine nuts from the cone, roast them lightly. The needles of the pine tree can be boiled and steeped to make a tea.


Cattails (also called bulrushes) are commonly found in marshes and along streams. The roots and heads can be eaten-peeling back the top layer of the roots reveals the tender white bits underneath, which can fried like onions or boiled. In spring you can boil the young, green heads for 15 minutes, top with butter and whatever else you fancy and eat just like corn on the cob. Another use for them is cattail pollen biscuits-below is a simple recipe.

• 1/2 - cup cattail pollen
• 1 3/4 - cups flour
• 3 tsp - baking powder
• 1 tsp - salt
• 4 tbsp - butter
• 3/4 - cup milk 

The green bloom spikes turn a bright yellow as they become covered with pollen. Put a large plastic bag over the head (or tail) and shake to release the pollen from the head. Mix together ingredients. Roll out with flour-dusted rolling pin on flour-dusted surface to 1/2 inch thickness, then use cookie-cutter to cut out biscuit shapes. After cutting out biscuits place on prepared cookie sheet, bake in pre-heated 400-degree oven for 15 minutes (depending upon your oven).


If any of you have read the Hunger Games series, you'll remember the lead character, Katniss, is named after an edible water plant that her father was fond of. That plant is  better known as the arrowhead because of its distinctive leaves. It grows in water and marshy ground and, just like it says in the book, the roots can be treated just like potatoes. Another recipe I found is care of No-Frills recipes-arrowhead, leeks and roast pork stir fry. 


Recipe for Arrow head, leeks and roast pork stir-fry

Ingredients

• 350 gm arrowheads - smashed with the back of the chopper.
• 150 gm roast pork
• 2  Chinese leeks - sliced
• 3.1/2 cups water
• 1.1/2  tsp cornflour + 2 tsp water
• Salt, sugar and light soya sauce to taste

 Preparation

1. Heat up some oil in a wok, toss in the roast pork, stir-fry for a while.
2. Add in the smashed arrowheads, stir-fry, add in the water and let it cook.
3. Once the arrowheads are soft and cooked (you may need to add in more water as arrow heads tend to absorb a lot of water), toss in the cut-up leeks.
4. Fine tune to taste and add in the cornflour mixture.
5. Dish onto serving plate. Serve hot with white rice.

One of my favourites is the dandelion. Most people see it as simply a weed but its actually a great little plant as every part of it can be used for something-the roots, leaves and flower heads can be eaten while the milky stem can be used for medicinal purposes. The plant contains high amounts of vitamins A, B and C, contains more beta-carotine than carrots, more potassium than spinach, not to mention loads of iron and copper. They have been used traditionally in treatments for kidney problems, to strengthen the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, stomach, spleen, intestines and immune system. The milk from the stems can be applied to bee stings and sores to relieve the pain, while daily application gets rid of warts, acne and calluses. Diluted, the milk can also be applied to the outside of the eyes to relieve soreness and tiredness. For women who suffer from recurring kidney infections, a cup of dandelion tea taken daily will relieve the symptoms. Simply boil and steep the leaves to make the tea, and add some honey as it can be bitter the more mature the leaves are-use the tender young leaves if you can. The leaves have a mild laxative effect and are also a great natural diuretic. Although the bane of most gardeners' lives, they are also useful there. Mixed in with compost, they add nutrition and help organic matter to break down. This because they emit ethylene which helps other plants to mature faster, although it does stunt their growth. The release of ethylene along with the fact that pollinating insects love them make dandelions a great companion plant for fruits and vegetables. The one thing to remember about dandelions is that they grow on a single stem, about 12 cm high, that comes out of a rosette of leaves above the central taproot. If you see a plant with many dandelion-like flowers on a single stem, it's a poisonous lookalike. There are many recipes that use dandelions, the one I included here is for cream of dandelion soup.

Dandelion Soup

• 4 cups chopped dandelion leaves
• 2 cups dandelion flower petals
• 2 cups dandelion flower buds
• 1 tbsp butter/olive oil
• 1 cup chopped wild garlic (use onions if there isn't any around)
• 6 cloves ordinary garlic, minced
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups cream
• 2 tsp salt

Gently boil dandelion leaves in six cups of water. Pour off the bitter water, boil and pour off the water again. By blanching the leaves, you get rid of the bitterness that you often get in mature leaves. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, sauté he wold garlic and garlic in butter/olive oil until tender. Add 4 cups of water, add the dandelion leaves, flower petals, buds and salt. Simmer gently for around 45 minutes, add some cream and simmer a few minutes more. Garnish with some flower petals and enjoy!


On to nettles-okay, I know they aren't the most pleasant of plants to deal with and I bet the thought of consuming them isn't one that fills you all with joy. I myself detest them as a plant ever since I fell into a patch of them when I small and got burnt to bits in the field behind my grandda's house. Ouch to say the least. They are, as with everything else on this page, highly nutritious and benefical. Its a rich source of iron and is basically a living multi-vitamin.It was used to make clothes because the fibres were so tough, and it was used in cures for everyday ailments like coughs and colds, to relieve arthritis, tonics for women to help during menstruation, especially for young womeen just starting and older women going through menopause. It is a good idea to eat nettles if you are breastfeeding as it makes the milk richer and stimulates its production. Nettles also detoxify the body, increase testosterone levels in men and contains natural antihistamines which means it's good for allergies. While it is a natural diuretic, it also contains compounds that reduce the urgency to use the facilities during the night-now that's handy! As always, a (gloved) handful of young leaves in a cup and add boiling water. 


Nettle Soup


Ingredients
2 medium onions, chopped
olive oil
2 medium potatos, peeled and chopped
bunch of nettle tops
500ml vegetable stock
nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste


Fry the onions gently gently in a little oil until soft, then add the potatos. Add the nettle tops and toss them all together, then pour the stock in and and bring to the boil, leaving to simmer until the potatoes are nice and soft. Blend until the mixture is smooth then add salt and pepper with a little nutmeg. Bring to the boil again and serve.


Nettle Beer


Ingredients
half a bucket of nettles
12 litres of boiling water
1.5 kg sugar
50g cream of tartar 
15g yeast


Rinse the nettles and , put them in a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat a bit and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the nettle juice into a big container, measure and add boiling water until you have 12 litres. Add the sugar and cream of tartar, stir well to mix. Leave it cool to body temperature and add the yeast. Stir well, cover with a clean cloth and leave for about 3 days. This gives you a yield of 12 bottles, which you can siphon off from the liquid in the bottom of the container, so you won't be getting the scum from the top.  To do this, place the container on a table, put a tube into the container towards the bottom and suck on the other end until the beer comes out. Stick the tube into your bottles and start filling up the bottles. Cork them once filled and leave for a few weeks. When you drink them, they'll be a bit fizzy.


Lastly, I want to talk about elderflowers and elderberries. The elder tree produces flowers in the spring which aree useful, and berries in the autumn, again very useful. The harvests can be used for condiments, drinks and ointments. Elderflowers were traditionally used to purify the blood and detox the body. They were also used to treat flus and get rid of chest mucus. Skin ointments were made out of the blossoms to reduce blemishes and many modern day ointments still contain elderflower. The blossoms were also used medicinally to treat asthma. The berries were used traditionally to give the immune system a boost, as well as treating arthritis, constipation and improve heart health. As recently as 1995, elderberry juice was used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama. So, a few recipes, including medicinal ones:


Elderflower Ointment
Rest an empty bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, add 125g Vaseline and 4 cups elderflowers, removed from the thick stems. Allow the Vaseline to melt fully. The elderflower will break down in the heat to be absorbed by the Vaseline. Leave the bowl sitting over the heat for 30 minutes and then remove. Strain through some muslin into small little pots, I use the ones you get for going on holidays to put lotions into, the type you get in Dunnes and Heatons, or even just save your tiny pots of moisturizer and lip balm when they are empty-pocket friendly and you're helping the environment! This stuff is great for chapped hands and, if you are of a farming pursuit, greasing and softening the teats and udders of cows.


Elderflower Skin Lotion
Pick enough blossoms to fill two cups and stick in a bowl. Cover with 500ml boiling water, set aside for an hour and strain to make elderflower water-basically the same principle as making tea. Discard the flowers, add 125ml witch-hazel and bottle the liquid. You can store this stuff in the fridge for a month and its great for the face.


Elderberry Tonic
Elderberries are at their best during late summer, early autumn. Pick a load of them, wash them thoroughly and get rid of any rotten or split berries, and any that look like they might have been nibbled on by something. Put them in a saucepan and fill it with water til they are just covered, then bring the water to the boil. Leave it to simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes, adding water as it evaporates to keep the berries covered. Once it's done, leave to cool and then mash. You need to strain the mixture and get as much liquid out as you ca. Measure out the amount of liquid you have into a clean saucepan and for every cup of liquid, add a cup of sugar. Bring to the boil again, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar is gone, then leave for five minutes more and remove from the heat. Once cool, pour into some clean bottles and label them. When taking this stuff it's best in a cup of hot water, like Ribena. Add about a tablespoon and drink daily as a tonic or just take whenever you have a cold, sniffle, otherwise.


There you have it-an introduction to foraging! There is a load of stuff out there you can eat-honeysuckle, rosehips, the roses themselves, lavender, bilberries, seaweed... and there are guidebooks with pictures out there. Again, just be careful with identification as some plants have clever body-doubles. Some good websites I found with some useful information are http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/benefits-of/nettles-leaf and http://wildandslow.com/food-templates/ it has pdfs you can download about some commonly found wild foods. There are some good sites out there, they just take some time to find.

Valentia Life Boat

Chapter 40 Restaurant will soon be holding an event to fundraise for the RNLI station at Valentia Island in Co. Kerry, a service which is very valuable to the area. In light of this it seems only right to talk about the history of the RNLI in Ireland, and the achievements of the Valentia Lifeboat service.

Credit for setting up the RNLI is given to Sir William Hillary, who witnessed the death and destruction of shipwrecks first-hand while living on the Isle of Mann, and also participated in many rescue attempts himself. He appealed to the aristocracy, the Navy and also the government of the time in Britain for help in establishing a national rescue service. Hillary was born in 1771 to a family of French descent that owned sugar plantations in Jamaica. He became equerry (an officer of the household of a prince or noble who had charge over the stables) to the Duke of Sussex and sailed with his master through the Mediterranean in an open boat. He was made a baronet in 1804 after raising the first Essex Legion of Infantry and Cavalry at his own expense (£20,000 at the time), leading the 1,400 men himself in service of the king. He moved to the Isle of Mann in 1808 when he lost most of his money and needed to escape his creditors. He had also eloped and the marriage may have been contractually bigamous. One of the earliest lifeboat stations before the era of the RNLI was based in Douglas, Isle of Mann, which is where Hillary participated in the rescues. Despite his financial difficulties he still had a good name and many well-placed contacts. On 12^th February 1824 he held a meeting at the City of London Tavern in Bishopsgate where a resolution to adopt his plans of setting up a national sea rescue service was carried. In March of that year, the service was officially set up as a charity. Hillary died on the Isle of Mann on 5^th June 1847

Since its foundations, the RNLI has saved more than 139,000 lives, battling through the worst conditions possible. First founded with the name of National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, the name was changed in 1854 to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. This year also saw the introduction of cork life jackets for crew members. The 20^th century saw the first street collection for the RNLI in Manchester, a change from sails and oars to engines and petrol. The first women also joined the crews. 2001 saw the introduction of RNLI lifeguards and the lifeboat stations on inland waterways.

The RNLI is a charity providing a 24 hour lifeboat search and rescue service, as well as a seasonal lifeguard service. They have set values that they work to and that reflect how the organisation is run.

Purpose:  The RNLI saves lives at sea.
Vision: To end preventable loss of life at sea

Values: Our work is based on and driven by our values. Our volunteers and staff strive for excellence and are...
Selfless: willing to put the requirements of others before their own and the needs of the team before the individual, able to see the bigger picture and act in the best interests of the RNLI, to be inclusive and respectful of others and prepared to share their expertise with organisations that share their aims.
Dependable: always available, committed to doing their part in saving lives with professionalism and expertise, continuously developing and improving. Working in and for the community and delivering on their promises.

Trustworthy: responsible, accountable and efficient in the use of the donations entrusted to the organisation by its supporters, managing their affairs with transparency, integrity and impartiality.
Courageous: prepared to achieve their aims in changing and challenging environments. We are innovative, adaptable and determined in our mission to save more lives at sea.

Volunteer Ethos: the lifesaving service is provided wherever possible by volunteers, generously supported by voluntary donations and legacies.
Independent of Government: The organisation does not seek funding from central government
Major Charity, Community based: The organisation operates through local teams, centrally directed and resourced.
Maritime: The organisation’s exceptional expertise is in the preservation of life at sea and on the water through prevention and rescue
Heritage: the RNLI is proud of their history, tradition and their achievements in saving lives for over two centuries.

The Valentia Lifeboat Station

There has been a lifeboat station serving the Kerry coast off Valentia for almost 130 years, the crew members earning many awards of bravery for their deeds, saving many lives and recovering the bodies of those the sea takes, allowing their families to bury them and grieve.

Silver medals were awarded to coastguards William Rowe, Joseph Ronowden, William Mark, Richard Jeffers and Nicholas Hanning for rescuing 18 people from the shipwreck Veronica 1828, while another Silver Medal was awarded in 1861 to Hugh Cooper for rescuing two men from the wrecked barque Florence Graham. A permanent lifeboat station was established in 1864 at Reenard Point on the mainland, facing Valentia Island, by the RNLI. It was then moved in 1869 to Knightstown on Valentia Island as the only lifeboat crew available was located there. The station operated from Knightstown for 30 years before closing in 1896. Between 1939 and 1945, an auxiliary rescue boat was placed at Valentia during the war to rescue the crews of downed planes flying in from the Atlantic and a permanent station opened the following year, with the lifeboat kept on moorings off Knightstown. In 1963, a Bronze Medal was awarded to Mechanic John Joseph Houlihan for rescuing two men from a canoe that had capsized. The Maud Smith award for Gallantry was also presented for this service. 7 years later saw a Silver Medal being awarded to Coxswain Dermot Walsh and the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum to Bowman P Murphy and Crew Members J Curtin and N Murphy when the lifeboat rescued 10 men from the motor vessel Oranmore that had drifted towards the Kerry Head shoal. In 1983, Mechanic John Joseph Houlihan received another award, the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum, for rescuing an angler who had been washed from rocks into a rough sea by strong wings. Framed Letters of Thanks were awarded to the crew of Valentia for recovering the bodies from the crashed Indian Air Boeing 747 in 1985 and for a 12-hour service to the trawler Big Cat despite being off duty at the time in 1989. In 1995, a new boathouse was built providing better housing for the boarding boat and better facilities for the crew. Another Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded in 1997 to Coxswain Seanie Murphy after a search for four people that had been swept from the sea from rocks. Two people were recovered with minor scratches and bruises, one brought in unconscious that unfortunately could not be revived and a fourth man could not be found. In 1996, a new Severn class lifeboat was put into service. It carries a Y boat that can be launched by a lightweight crane and facilitates rescues close to the shore where the main boat may not be able to go. The Severn has protected propellers, which means it can hit ground without damage to them. As it is an all-weather boat, it is self-righting and has to go through a series of tough trials before being given the all-clear. It also has the latest in navigation, location and communication devices to assist in rescues, a valuable service in the rough seas surrounding our island.

American Style Breakfast Pancakes

• 115g/4oz self-raising flour
• half a tsp baking flour
• 2 large eggs, separated 
• 125ml/5fl oz milk
• pinch salt
• 400g/14oz fresh blueberries
• vegetable oil, for brushing

Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and make a well in the middle.

Place the yolks and the milk into the well in the flour mixture and whisk to create a smooth batter. The batter should be the consistency of double cream. Add a little milk if necessary, although you ma not need it all.

Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl with a pinch of salt, until still peaks form when the whisk is removed.

Fold the egg whites into the batter.

Heat a heavy, non-stick pan over a medium heat and brush it with some vegetable oil.

Pour two tablespoons of the batter into the pan, smoothing it out into a circle. Cook for one minute,or until bubbles start to form on the surface, then add a handful of blueberries and cook for another minute. Turn the pancake and cook the other side for one minute, or until golden-brown. Remove from the pan and serve in a warm plate.

Repeat with the remaining batter and berries and serve immediately.

Origins of Pancake Tuesday

Pancake Day is always celebrated on a Tuesday and is also known as Shrove Tuesday. Pancake Day celebrates the start of the Christian celebration of Lent where Christians give up something for 40 days to empathise with Jesus Christ when he was sent into the wilderness for 40 days and nights and tempted by the devil.
During Lent people would fast, so the day before, Shrove Tuesday, households would use up food items in the house such as sugar, butter, milk and eggs. Pancakes were easily made from these ingredients and provided essential nutrients before the fasting period. Eggs would not be eaten thereafter until Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at Easter, a period of Forty Days.
The first pancake recipe was in a cookbook dating back to the year 1439. The earliest true recipe was recorded in Apicius, a collection of Roman recipes thought to be from the fourth or fifth century AD - it suggests serving them with honey and pepper, which sounds pretty good to me. In fact, you could trace a rather delicious map of the world in pancakes - from Russian buckwheat blinis to can't-be-too-thin French crepes, lacy Indian dosas and fluffy American breakfast pancakes.
As long as you don't stress the batter, treat it tenderly and don't overmix it (particularly if you are adding seasoning) you should be fine.

Pancake Tossing
Flipping your pancakes is part of the tradition, though it's not a skill that comes naturally to us all. Wait until your pancake is cooked on the underside and hold the frying pan loosely in your hand, keeping your wrist very relaxed. Flick your wrist sharply upwards and the pancake should (in theory) land back in the pan.

Mardis Gras
The French name for Shrove Tuesday is "Mardis Gras" (or "Fat Tuesday") and has been assumed by countries all around the world to celebrate pre-Lenten indulgence and decadence. Mardis Gras is celebrated at the world-famous carnivals of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and New Orleans in the USA.

Did You Know?
Napolean considered dropping a pancake while tossing to be bad luck, and used this to explain his troops' failings in Russia.
In Iceland, the day is known as "Sprengidagur" ("bursting day") as on this day people would eat as much of the delicacies that were forbidden during Lent as possible.
The name "Shrove" comes from the archaic English word "Shrive", which means "to confess".

Yummies for Your Pancakes

Crepe Suzette

• 150ml/5fl oz orange juice (from 3-4 medium oranges)
• 1 medium orange grated zest only
• 1 small grated lemon rind and juice
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 3 tbsp Grand Marnier
• 50g/2oz unsalted butter
• a little extra Grand Marnier, for flaming

For the sauce, mix all the ingredients - with the exception of the butter - in a bowl. Now melt the butter gently in the frying pan, pour in the orange juice mixture and allow it to heat very gently. Now place the first crepe in the pan and give it time to warm through before folding it in half and then in half again to make a triangular shape, give it a  minute or so for it to take on he flavour of the sauce.

You can flame them at this point f you like , by pouring a little extra liqueur into the pan and gently tilting towards the flame, be very careful at this point as not to burn yourself or to spill any of the sauce onto the flame. Once the flame has died out, serve immediately on warmed plates.

Pancakes with Walnut Cream/Butterscotch Sauce

• 200g light muscovado sugar
• 160g unsalted butter, diced
• 800ml double cream
• 3tbsp sifted icing sugar
• 2tbsp brandy
• 2tbsp coffee essence or vanilla essence
• 6 tbsp chopped walnuts

Butterscotch Sauce

Put the sugar, butter and 250ml of the cream in a pan over low heat.

Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat slightly, cook for 3/4 minutes without stirring, set aside but keep warm.

Filling

Whip the remaining cream and fold in the icing sugar/brandy/essence and 3 tbsp of the walnuts.
Take a pancake and spread a quarter with a dessert spoon of the cream mixture, fold in half and in half again to enclose the filling.
Sprinkle with the remaining walnuts and drizzle with the warm butterscotch sauce.

Traditional

• caster sugar
• lemon juice
• lemon wedge
• melted butter

To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice, caster sugar and melted butter. Fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon.

Chocolate Sauce

• 55g/2oz caster sugar
• splash of hot water
• 30g/11/4oz cocoa powder

For the sauce, whisk the sugar, water and cocoa together in a small pan over a gentle heat. Add extra water depending on how thick you require the sauce.

To serve, transfer the pancakes to a serving plate and drizzle the chocolate sauce over.

Banoffee Pancakes

• 4 normal bananas
• 25g/2tbsp hazelnut chocolate sauce
• 90g/6tbsp banoffee toffee sauce
• vanilla ice cream to serve

Place the pancakes in foil in a preheated oven to warm the pancakes.

Warm the banoffee sauce in a small pan. Slice the bananas lengthways and add to the pan. Heat until the sauce is bubbling around the hot bananas.

Remove the pancakes and spread a layer of chocolate spread onto them, place four pieces of banana and some banoffee sauce on each pancake. Roll up the pancakes and place on a warm plate.

Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on to each plate and serve.

Last Minute ideas to Brighten Up your Pancakes

• cinnamon sugar (caster sugar mixed with ground cinnamon)
• Vanilla Butter (unsalted butter mixed with vanilla essence)
• Maple Syrup
• A selection of your favourite fruits and vegetables
• Your favourite chocolate bar, slightly melted and used as a filling

Gluten free and Vegan Pancakes

Gluten-free pancakes

• 100g gluten free plain white flour
• 2 eggs
• 300ml milk

Mix together the flour, milk and eggs.

Heat a little oil in a non stick frying pan and as it starts to smoke pour in just enough batter to thinly cover the base of the pan. Cook until golden, then turn the pancake over and cook the other side until golden. Stack the pancakes on a plate and, if you are not eating them straight away, layer them up using grease proof paper and cover with cling-film or foil to stop them from drying out.

Vegan Pancakes

• 2 cups flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp oil
• 2 cups soymilk
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the soymilk and oil, mix well until combined. Leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Continue to cook as above.