Pancake Day 2023
Choose a better life for farm animals this Pancake Day
Hens in cages? No thanks.
Did you know that due to Avian Influenza (bird flu), hens in the UK are having to be kept indoors? This is to protect them from wild animals that might pass on the virus. But no matter where they are kept, hens on RSPCA Assured certified farms are raised to strict higher welfare standards.
You can support higher welfare farming this Pancake Day and look for the RSPCA Assured logo on your eggs.
Remember, premade pancake mix usually contains eggs too, and if the label doesn't specify, they could be from hens in cages.
Our hens are never caged.
Pancakes are simple to make, delicious to eat and a little bit different all over the world. From the flat crepe style of Europe to the thick American breakfast pancake, to the super-fluffy Japanese variety, there’s a pancake recipe to suit all tastes.
What are the ingredients to make pancakes from scratch?
Pancakes are quite literally cakes made in a pan, so the ingredients are the same as you would expect to find in a cake: flour, eggs and milk. Or if you’re trying to make a difference to farm animal welfare and buying higher welfare ingredients, flour, RSPCA Assured eggs and RSPCA Assured milk.
How do you pan-fry pancakes?
Once your pancake mixture is ready and beaten into a smooth batter, heat a little oil in a frying pan, lower the heat and pour in enough pancake batter to cover the bottom of the pan. Be sure to swirl it around to cook it evenly and maybe give it a flamboyant flip to ensure your pancake cooks both sides.
How do you make pancakes from scratch without baking powder?
Simple pancake recipes don’t normally involve baking powder. Our traditional pancake recipe uses only flour, milk, eggs and a pinch of salt.
How do you make pancakes from scratch with 3 ingredients?
Making pancakes from scratch is simple and only requires three ingredients. All you need to make the perfect Saturday morning pancakes are flour, eggs and milk.
Every year, in the UK, we consume 12.9 billion eggs, but do you know how those eggs are produced?
We carried out a survey and were a little shocked at the results.
- In the UK, 21% of adults believe hens are no longer kept in cages
- while 19% are unsure whether hens are still caged or not.
The reality is that around 10 million hens are still kept in cages (this accounts for 28% of all UK egg production) which restrict their ability to move around and exhibit their natural behaviours, with little more usable space than the size of a large pancake (around 31 cm).
A new poll also revealed that
- nine out of ten people think the welfare of hens is important, especially whilst they’re being housed indoors due to bird flu.
- three-fifths of adults do not eat eggs that have come from caged hens
Many people think battery cages are a thing of the past but they couldn’t be more wrong. Whilst the old battery cage was banned in Europe in 2012, they were replaced by a new type of battery cage called a ‘colony’ or ‘enriched caged’.
You can find out more about these new cages and the space hens have on the pages below.
Shrove Tuesday!
This Pancake Day, millions of people in the UK will be enjoying pancakes. And while many of us will be wondering whether to go for sweet or savoury toppings or which style of pancake to make, few people consider where the eggs in their pancakes come from.
Eggs are a staple part of our weekly grocery shopping
Eggs are convenient, full of protein, great tasting and not too expensive. We walk down the grocery aisle and pick up a box with barely a second thought about the birds that produce them. But the sad reality is that many of the eggs we eat in the UK (35%) come from birds still kept in cages.
Many eggs come from hens in cages
While the traditional battery cages that hens were once kept in were banned in 2012, the "enriched" or "colony cages" that have replaced them realistically offer the birds little more useable space. Find out more about battery cages.
How do you make fluffy pancakes from scratch?
While the traditional British pancake is flat (and served with sugar and lemon), other pancakes around the world are not so vertically challenged. American pancakes are thicker while Japanese pancakes are very light and fluffy.
Just like traditional pancakes, both American pancakes and Japanese pancakes are very simple to make. We have easy-to-follow recipes for both, so why not give them a try?
What to add to the pancake mix to make it better?
There’s more to pancakes than simply mixing flour, eggs and milk together. Here are a few variations you can try to make your pancakes more exciting.
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- Substitute milk for buttermilk to make your pancakes richer
- Substitute milk for apple cider vinegar for lighter and fruity-tasting pancakes
- Mix your milk with sparkling water to make them fluffier
- Add a pinch of baking soda to the mix to perk your pancakes up a little
- Add a touch of yoghurt to your batter to make your pancakes richer
- Add a little ginger or nutmeg to your batter to give your pancakes a bit of zing
What do you put on pancakes?
While the question to the meaning of life might have a simple answer: 42, the question of what is the best pancake topping is far more elusive and we will probably never have a satisfactory answer. So in the meantime, here are a few suggestions of what you can put on your pancakes.
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- Sugar and lemon
- Maple syrup
- Jam
- Ice cream
- Nutella
- Stewed fruit
- Butter
- Smoked salmon, RSPCA Assured
- Bacon, RSPCA Assured, obviously
- Banana
- Strawberries and cream
Why do we eat pancakes on Fat Tuesday?
Fat Tuesday is the literal translation of the French, Mardi Gras. In the UK, it is often referred to as Shrove Tuesday, shrove coming from the old word “shrive” meaning to confess.
What is the history of Shrove Tuesday?
Shrove Tuesday comes at the beginning of Lent, a forty-day period of assistance leading up to Easter. Traditionally, people would make pancakes to use up all their fatty foods before going to confession and then starting a meeker lifestyle for Lent.
Look for the RSPCA Assured logo when making your pancakes to support higher farm animal welfare
The RSPCA Assured logo on the box is your assurance the hens that laid your eggs were inspected to RSPCA welfare standards and weren’t kept in cages. Hens raised on RSPCA Assured farms are kept in barns with plenty of space, perches and nest boxes or in free-range systems with access to an outside range. Not only are RSPCA Assured farms 100% cage-free but the birds are also provided with raised perches and plenty of enrichment.
Find RSPCA Assured Eggs at your Favourite Supermarket
RSPCA Assured Salmon Welfare
You can find out more about the higher welfare standards of salmon on RSPCA Assured farms.
