Want to make the perfect pancake? We got Scott Barton and Darren Beevers from the Plantation to show us how. 

The ingredients:

  • 500ml milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 200g plain flour
  • 10g sugar
  • 5g salt
  • 150g melted butter

Got them on hand? Click play on the video above!

Some do’s and dont’s for the perfect pancake:

  • DO rest your batter, it gives a more even texture.
  • DON’T worry about what the first one looks like, think of it as a pan-seasoner and eat it yourself
  • DO use a crepe pan if you have one but DON’T wash it afterwards, just wipe it down with some kitchen towel. (They’re like woks, they need to be seasoned.)

General tips for technique:

General consensus is that butter tastes better for frying, but you can use oil, especially if you’re making the savoury type. 

Turn the heat up high – this will give you a crispy pancake but if you prefer them softer you can turn it down again once the batter is in.

Add a ladleful of batter and tip the pan to spread it. For a really thin pancake you can tip any excess back into the batter. Use a palette knife or slice to loosen the edges, shake to make sure it’s all unstuck and then flip or toss depending on your nerve.

Here are some alternative recipes if you don't fancy the one in our video.

Best for speed

Jamie Oiliver's one tweet recipe. Use a mug for measuring, and he doesn’t even think you need to rest them. If you’re really desperate for a pancake NOW this one is a winner.

Best all rounder

The ever reliable Felicity Cloake wins hands down. Ingredients: plain flour, pinch of salt, 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, 225ml milk, knob of butter. You can read about her method and how she arrived at her Perfect Pancakes here.

Best easy American pancakes

  • 6 tsp butter
  • 280g self-raising flour
  • 1tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp caster sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 250ml milk

Heat 5 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then set aside. Sieve the flour into a large bowl. Add the salt and sugar. Add the melted butter to the beaten eggs, then make a well in the flour mixture and add the milk, then the egg and butter mixture, whisking with a hand whisk to beat through any lumps.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a frying pan, then add a ladleful of batter. It should be about 1cm thick. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Keep the pancakes warm on a plate in the oven while you cook the rest of the batch.

Best celebrity pancakes

We picked Gwyneth’s for this. It’s her dad’s “world famous” pancake recipe and although it’s got more ingredients than your average pancake, they are blooming delicious.

Bruce Paltrow’s World Famous Pancake Recipe

Best for luxury

There are a LOT of luxury pancakes out there. We’ve chosen two: one for thin pancakes and one for American pancakes.

First, for thin pancakes: plums, ricotta, pistachios and honey. This recipe has nutmeg and honey in the actual pancake batter too, but they’re not super sweet. So you can pretend they’re healthy.

Second, for the short stack: these chocolate chip and raspberry pancakes are certainly indulgent. But if you’re giving something up for Lent, you totally deserve it.

More pancake recipes below... let us know how you like yours.

Now you've made your perfect pancake, if you fancy running round the streets with it instead of eating it, try one of these...

Wimborne

The annual pancake race around the Minster Church in Wimborne will start at 11am.

There will be a prize in all categories, which are toddlers, pre-school, under 18s, adults, and wheelchair users. Registration starts at 10.30am and competitors are asked to bring a pan and ready-cooked pancake, to be tossed around the four corners of the church.

Christchurch

Christchurch Food Festival is organising charity pancake races in front of the historic Priory Church.

Races start at 10.30am and will see chefs, business people and local celebrities grabbing their frying pans.

Proceeds will go to the festival’s charity, the Christchurch Food Festival Education Trust.

Did you know?

Before the Christian era, pagan groups believed the change of seasons was a struggle between Jarilo, the god of vegetation, fertility and springtime, and the evil spirits of cold and darkness.

People believed that they had to help Jarilo fight against winter and bring in the spring by making and eating pancakes, which symbolised the sun (because they're hot and round, of course!).