Shrove Tuesday

	Since it was Shrove Tuesday I had promised the children that we would make pancakes once we returned home from Rhyme Time.   Personally, I’m not keen on the type of pancakes that you toss and thought the children might prefer the thicker Scotch type pancakes.  Here is the recipe that we used: Recipe for thick Scotch type pancakes 100g self-raising flour pinch of salt 50g sugar (the original recipe says caster sugar but I use unrefined granulated or caster) 4 tbsp milk 1 egg lemon essence (optional) Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl before adding the egg and milk then beating to form a thick batter.  Add the essence if using. I sometimes also add some blueberries or sultanas at this point. Lightly grease a thick bottomed frying pan with some butter and allow it to become moderately hot.  Cook two  or three at a time by dropping spoonfuls of the batter into the pan and leave them to cook until they start to bubble slightly.  Check the underside is brown then turn them over to cook the reverse side.   As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the meals which I provide for children are all vegetarian and home cooked. In recent months I  have become vegan myself, this means that I don’t eat any animal products (eggs, dairy, honey, etc.) although I do still serve these to the children.  I am now used to checking ingredient labels on food and have a range of dairy and egg free recipes up my sleeves, this will be beneficial if I ever care for children who have allergies.    I’ve found this recipe for pancakes, it uses different ingredients but the same method as the one above: Ingredients for Egg/Dairy Free version of Scotch pancakes One cup of self-raising flour 1 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp baking powder 1 cup of plant based milk e.g soya or almond milk Oil or dairy-free butter to grease the pan.