Top Ten Pancakes from Riverford Organics

16th February is Pancake day this year and is a lovely opportunity to get creative in the kitchen, with children having great fun making the batter and flipping the pancakes, you can then fill with a variety of fillings both sweet and savoury, either sticking to the old favourite - sugar and a squeeze of lemon or try something more imaginative; fruit, chocolate and cheese all make great bases to add other ingredients.

This is the pancake recipe that is used at Stockley Farm:

100g plain flour

1 egg 300ml milk (or 150ml milk + 150ml water)

pinch salt (optional)

lemon juice

sugar

oil for frying

1. To make the pancake batter, add the milk, egg and then the flour and blend using an electric blender or food processor. If you do not have a blender, sift the flour and salt into a bowl, add the egg and beat well. Gradually add the milk and beat to make a smooth batter.

2. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan until hot and then pour enough batter to thinly coat the base of the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes each side.

Top 10 Pancake Fillings

1. ‘Classic' sugar with a squeeze of lemon

2. Melted chocolate or chocolate spread - with marshmallows, bananas or cream

3. Ice cream - with fruit such as bananas

4. Stewed fruit - apples with cinnamon and sultanas, rhubarb with orange and ginger, seasonal berries

5. Bacon and maple syrup

6. Melted cheese - Cheshire cheese with finely chopped spring onions or bacon, mushroom or spinach

7. Leeks and bacon

8. Ratatouille and goats cheese

9. Shredded duck with plum sauce and lettuce

10. Leek and cauliflower stuffed pancakes with cheese sauce (see recipe below)

Leek and cauliflower stuffed pancakes with cheese sauce

By Jane Baxter from the Riverford Field Kitchen

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cauliflower cut into florets

2 leeks, trimmed

30g butter

salt and pepper

Cheese Sauce

40g (2oz) butter

30g (1oz) plain flour

400ml (13 fl oz) milk (and optional double cream)

80g cheddar cheese

grated salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Firstly make required pancakes using ½ whole- wheat flour and ½ plain flour. Stack them on a plate and keep warm. 2. Cook the cauliflower for 10 minutes and leeks for 3 minutes until tender. Drain off the liquid. 3. Make a cheese sauce with butter, flour and milk in a saucepan over a moderate heat and whisk until thickened. Add the cream, cheese and seasoning. 4. Place the cauliflower and leeks in a saucepan with some butter add some cream and stir whilst this is absorbed into the vegetables. 5. Place a small amount of the vegetables on each pancake and roll lengthways, sealing the edges and place side by side in a baking dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the top, sprinkle with grated cheddar and place in the oven for 30 minutes until brown.