BEER-sheba Pancakes

Pancakes are fantastic holiday food, and aren’t just for kids, as our lush Beer-sheba batter pancakes prove. For a bit of a mix up on the traditional breakfast fare, swap the milk in your pancake batter for a splash of something more interesting.

Why use beer in your batter? Beer brings a bubbly lightness, as well as giving the pancakes a distinctive, yeasty flavour that’s perfect with savoury toppings.

Here’s what you need (with handy measures for a camp kitchen!):
110g plain flour (about 4 heaped tablespoons)
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
185ml lager (just over half a 330ml can)
approx 100ml water (use enough to make a thickish batter)
100g (ish – approx 2/5s a 250g pack) unsalted butter

Plus, a non-stick pan, a spatula you can trust, and a hob or camping ring that throws off a decent amount of heat (if you are staying in Wildflower Wood, you can hire all this and whip them up in your outdoor kitchen). A pouring jug or deep ladle for the batter will also make life easier.

1. Mix the flour, salt and eggs together, and gradually whisk in the beer and water.
2. Melt the butter in your frying pan. Set most of it aside for later, but pour a teaspoon or so into your batter to help prevent it sticking.
3. Heat the pan to smoking level, then wipe it round with a dollop of melted butter.
4. Pour or ladle in the mix, moving the pan around so the mix spreads into a nice, even circle around the base.
5. When it looks set, gently slide the spatula underneath the mix and flip it over to cook the other side. Note: don’t be a tosser: this mix is stickier than a conventional milk-based batter, and is a bit trickier to flip.
5. Slide the pancake onto a plate, and repeat until the batter’s gone.
6. Makes 12 small or 6 large pancakes.

Our Beer-sheba pancakes have a more savoury tang than milk batter ones. We’d serve these with grated cheese and fried mushrooms for a handy post-surf snack. Or, add chutney and some slices Cornish Yarg (like this lovely one from Kittows Quality Meats).

We used a Cornish beer, Harbour Brewery’s Antipodean IPA. You can use any beer you fancy, although IPA does work well. We’ve also heard good things about Belgian beer batters.

Not a beer fan, or flipping pancakes for the kids? Stick to the usual recipe – but use our local Trink milk for extra rich loveliness.