Clergy raced along Kirkgate today as part of Ripon Cathedral‘s annual Pancake Day event.
The event has become a traditional Shrove Tuesday event in the city, although it was halted during covid.
It sees cathedral clergy, vergers and staff join school children and local residents for races on Kirkgate.
It is one of many Pancake Day events taking place in the Harrogate district.
In Harrogate, the Fat Badger pub is giving people the chance to earn the title of ‘fastest flipper in town’.
The pub is providing pans and pancake mixes for anyone who turns up between 9.30am and 4pm today and fancies trying to complete a short course in the beer garden as quickly as possible while tossing pancakes.
Read more:
The Dean of Ripon Cathedral, the Very Rev John Dobson (left), joins in the fun.
A Harrogate pub is hosting free Pancake Day fun tomorrow that gives people the chance to earn the title of ‘fastest flipper in town’.
The Fat Badger will provide pans and pancake mixes and anyone who turns up between 9.30am and 4pm is welcome to make their own treats and then see how quickly they can complete the course.
The event is being held in the pub’s beer garden on Cold Bath Road, adjacent to the footpath so people walking past can see it.
There is no charge to enter and the winner will receive Sunday lunch for two people, including a bottle of wine, at the Fat Badger.
Simon Cotton, managing director of the HRH Group, which owns the Fat Badger, said:
“The rules are simple; it’ll be against the clock and each person will need to make a regular size pancake and successfully flip it twice to be entered.
“One go per person but everyone can enter for free as it’s just for fun and community engagement.”
Read more:
- Harrogate’s Rachel Daly scores twice as England beat Italy
- Petition set up against Masham pub ‘cashless’ trial
Ripon Pancake Race won’t be held on Shrove Tuesday
Ripon Pancake Race won’t be held on Shrove Tuesday next week because of covid-related problems.
The event sees children, local residents and members of the clergy race along Kirkgate tossing pancakes.
It was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to covid and there were hopes it would return this year.
But Tim Jones, treasurer of the Rotary Club of Ripon Rowels, said that covid uncertainty at the start of the year did not allow enough time for road closure applications to be processed. He said;
“Some teachers were reluctant to bring schoolchildren out so we decided not to go ahead.”
The event is staged jointly by the rotary club and Ripon Festivals, in association with Ripon Cathedral.
Read more:
- Sneak Peek: Paradise arrives in Killinghall
- Ripon man with family in Ukraine speaks of ‘deeply troubling’ times
- Future of Ripon’s Hell Wath nature reserve generates heated discussion
Stray Kitchen: the most fun you’ll have with a frying pan
Stray Kitchen is our column all about food written by renowned local produce expert, food writer and chef, Stephanie Moon. Stephanie is a champion of food produced in the UK and particularly in Yorkshire and the Harrogate district.
Us Brits have loved pancakes since the 15th century and as a nation we devour over 53 million eggs on pancake day.
I think we are all happy to go a bit barmy on Shrove Tuesday, or so called ‘Shrive Tuesday’ because people would confess to their sins.
This is an excuse to go flippin’ crazy on Pancake day – anything to bring out a smile and a flash back to our childhood. I can more or less guarantee it, perhaps even a belly laugh if you try the tricky to master pancake art!
Art in a pancake is not as weird as it sounds and there are varying ways to do this. You can make a basic pancake batter and pour it into a squeezy bottle, then pour into the pancake pan in an artistic fashion. Chocolate cocoa pancake batter gives you more defined outlines alongside the basic mixture, and there are plenty of fun videos on the web to guide you.
Most people can eat at least two or three Pancakes and as a young girl my mother would cook us pancakes the traditional way, with sugar and fresh lemon juice. If we had not eaten the first one before the next one was ready, we had our noses dusted in soot from the fireplace. She explained this was an old tradition – although I have never heard or seen this since so I’m pretty certain she was playing a joke on us – but it did make us hurry up and eat our dinner!
Who gives a toss? Well, the highest recorded pancake toss was 31ft which is vertically impressive and I’m glad if I can successfully manage 2ft! if you are braving the toss always remember have a little extra batter ready for the ones that end up on the floor!
Read More:
- Stray Kitchen with Stephanie Moon: Green shoots of hope will spring through snow
- Stray Foodie recipes: a heart for St Valentine’s Day
So many countries have their favourite pancake batters: the Americans their pancake stacks, the French their crepes, and the Indians their dosas. As for Russia, I can honestly say I have tried Blinis in Moscow where I went to do a battle of the batters cook off in the kitchens of the Hotel Metropol in Moscow. The chefs were fiercely proud and their Blinis and Yorkshire puddings really did match up well (even though Yorkshire Puddings are technically not pancakes if you make them right!). Thankfully, we where declared equals by the general manager.
The batter for pancake day is amazingly simple and only really needs three main ingredients: milk, flour, and eggs. As a dairy farmer’s daughter, it’s no wonder it was a big day in our house!
Everyone has a pancake batter mix that is their favourite, but my top tip is to cook the pancake in melted bubbling butter instead of oil, unless you are trying pancake art then plain vegetable oil is better to see the outlines of the pancake art.
So get your pancake groove on and serve with fresh lemon juice and a spoonful of sugar, fill savoury pancakes with a rich prawn double cream and cheese mix, pack a pancake full of Nutella and bananas or try your hand at pancake art. Whatever you choose, it’s guaranteed as much fun as you can have in a frying pan!
Happy pancake day!
Steph x