Pancakes are one of my favourite memories of childhood. My mum made them every year for Shrove Tuesday - or as you may know it Pancake Day! She used an old Be-Ro recipe book for the recipe that was handed down from my grandmother. I've modernised the recipe by changing it from ounces to grams and I've also added some sugar to create these delicious Traditional English Pancakes.
Be-Ro (originally called Bells-Royal) is one of the first popular brands of self-raising flour in the North of England. Plain flour was most commonly used, until the 1920s when Be-Ro used these recipe books to market the product and show how useful self-raising flour was. The recipe books helped the brand to become famous and are still being produced now, with the 41st edition published August 2011.
The edition I used is their 19th edition and was published in 1956. The entire book is in black and white, including all the photos. Nothing like the recipe books today! The book is full of some brilliantly old school tips and phrases, such as "The woman who can cook well and bake well has every reason and every right to be proud of her cooking" - something which is definitely still true today! And for men too!
How to make Traditional English Pancakes
To make the batter, weigh out the flour and sugar in a bowl, then whisk in the eggs. Then add the milk slowly and whisk until a smooth batter forms. Heat up a frying pan and before cooking each pancake, put a spritz of oil in the pan or a small knob of butter. Measure the batter out using a ladle, add to the pan and cook for a few minutes until bubbles form on the surface.
Then flip the pancake over and cook for a few more minutes on the other side.
What can you serve the pancakes with?
- Lemon juice and sugar
- Blueberries and maply syrup
- Strawberries and whipped cream
- Nutella, Biscoff, or any other sweet spread
- Ice cream
- Jam and peanut butter
- OR omit the sugar from the batter and serve them savoury with cheese, eggs, spinach, baked beans... it's up to you!
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More Pancake recipes...
Traditional English Pancakes
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 285 g Self raising flour
- 2 Eggs large
- 570 ml Milk cow's or plant milk will both work
- 50 g Caster sugar
For the toppings
- Lemons
- Caster sugar
- Blueberries
Instructions
- Put a frying pan on the hob to heat up at a low-medium heat
- In a mixing bowl stir the flour and sugar together
- Add the eggs and whisk in
- Then add the milk bit by bit, whisking between each addition until you have a smooth batter
- Spritz a little oil or add a knob of butter to the frying pan, then add a ladle full of batter
- Cook the pancake for about 4 minutes, then flip it over and cook for a further 3 minutes
- Serve immediately with a good squeeze of lemon juice, a generous sprinkling or sugar and fresh fruit like blueberries too if you like!
Victoria Lee
What a lovely lovely post! I'm a lemon juice and golden syrup traditionalist if I'm honest, but I also make an extra batch to make cannelloni with - my dad always made cannelloni with pancakes when I was little. I love that you're using a Be-Ro book passed down through the generations, they just don't make 'em like that any more!!! x
The Pantry Door
Kat Buckley
Wow I didn't know you could make cannelloni with pancakes! I will have to try that out. It sounds pretty tasty!
Victoria Lee
It is! I don't know whether the Italians would approve, but it always worked for us - plus it freezes really well without the cheese sauce, and then you can just take it out and pop it in the oven 🙂
Kat Buckley
Would love if you could send me the recipe!
Lauren Roffey
Ah what great sounding pancakes! I have always been dubious about savoury pancakes but am planning to try some out next week.
I also have a hand-me-down copy of the Be-Ro cookbook inherited from my Granny that I use all the time (including the notes she has pencilled in!).
Kat Buckley
Just don't put any sugar in your pancake batter and they will be totally versatile for sweet or savoury toppings 🙂
Kim
OMG I have that book! I inherited my Grandma's cookbooks and this was one of them. I love the old school phrases in it, too!
Kat Buckley
Awh that's brilliant! Have you used it yet?
Angela Darroch
I had a clear out quite a few years ago and got rid of all my old recipe books - how I regret doing that now. There is so much nostalgia attached to the older books especially if they have been passed down to you. Lovely post.
Kat Buckley
Oh that's a shame, but now you can start a new collection to pass onto your children!
cupcake girl
hiya, your pancakes look yum! my fave is the toffee +icecream.
I have a blog if you fancy checking out:)
Kat Buckley
Just had a look at your blog, keep up the good work!
Miss C Flash
Wow Kat, you certainly have been trying out all the pancakes recipes! I certainly like the pancakes with ice-cream 🙂 x
Kat Buckley
They were all so yummy 🙂 ice cream is so good on them.
Sarah Barnes
My nan had one of those Be-Ro books! She made the best puff pastry ever. Brings back memories seeing it again 🙂 Your pancakes are perfect and the toppings look fab...the ice cream and toffee sauce...yum!!
Kat Buckley
Thanks Sarah! Glad to have brought back some happy memories for you 🙂
Laura Loves Cakes
A great recipe for pancakes...and I love the Be-Ro book! I'm definitely a sweet pancake person, my filling of choice is lemon juice, sugar, golden syrup and sultanas...excessive I know! 😉 Your pancakes are making me hungry...I'm all ready for Tuesday now!
Kat Buckley
That sounds delicious! I forgot to have a golden syrup pancake, got so distracted by the chocolate spread and bananas! Enjoy your pancake feast on Tuesday!
emma lockett
I have this book, passed down to me by my Nan. It is what set me off on my cake journey. I also have the modern day version as well......in amongst the hundreds of other baking and decorating books i have 🙂 x
Kat Buckley
That's amazing that you have both the old and new generations of books 🙂 I bet is in interesting to compare the different wording and phrases.
Monika Dabrowski
These look delicious, I'd have them for dessert, with lots of lemon juice!