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Shrove Tuesday is one religious holiday that most of us know little about, but love a lot. For those interested, it's the day before Lent, when Christians use up all their eggs, milk and other bits perfect for pancakes before the (decidedly less popular) 40-day fast. But for non-Christians, Shrove Tuesday is a glorious free pass for you to stuff your face full of as many pancakes as you can lay your hands on, which in London is a lot. Most restaurants will be serving up the delicious treat this Tuesday, but a handful of them will be giving the flat cakey thing a makeover. Here are five jazzy ways you'll be able to have yours this Pancake Day.
1. Deep-fried
A few places are giving their pancakes a battering this year. In east London The Book Club and its sister venue Stories will be serving deep-fried pancakes drizzled with salted caramel and rum sauce, while over in Fitzrovia the Scottish joint Mac & Wild have drawn inspiration from their roots with a 'battered Mars bar' version – a pancake that's been filled with caramel and chocolate ganache and then blitzed in the fryer. It sounds so bad for you, yet so good.
2. Sour
Soho restaurant Shotgun will be making some stomachs queasy and others jump for joy with their pairing of a sour pancake and a slow-cooked pig's ear slathered in sweet and sour sauce. Only the culinarily courageous need apply.
3. Posh
If you feel like splashing a bit of cash, The Botanist in Sloane Square is offering some indulgent pancakes priced around the £30 mark. For that you can get a crêpe with chunks of fresh lobster, earthy mushrooms and a creamy, smoked garlic bisque, or a Shorthorn fillet pancake ‘Wellington', which comes with seared foie gras, truffle and bone marrow sauce.
4. Dyed
Paul Winch Furness
Cupcake fans rejoice! Because The Diner has a red velvet pancake on offer. The genius recipe also involves whole berries and a cream cheese frosting.
5. Ultra American
One word: smores. That's right, Sweet Things in Notting Hill has pancake-ified the great American campfire treat by crushing digestive biscuits and mini marshmallows into the mix and topping it with gooey chocolate. Our mouths are officially watering.
Get busy with Pancake Day activities in London