Pancake Cake/ Shrove Tuesday – 21st February 2023 – Every year, the city of London turns into a pancake haven, with restaurants and homes cooking up delightful variations of the highly addictive batter cakes and crêpes. However, given that this day changes date every year according to Easter, it can be hard to remember when it is, and why exactly we celebrate it. It takes place 47 days before Easter Sunday and pancake races have been going around for years. London has a number of famous ones.
The Parliamentary Pancake Race starts from the Victoria Tower Gardens and has probably the most high-profile participants which feature three teams made up of MP’s, Lords and members of the press to help raise funds for the charity ‘Rehab’.
Shrove Tuesday (or pancake day) marks the last day before lent when people eat pancakes before the start of Lent. It is traditionally a period where you stop eating certain foods i.e. sugar, fats, flour and eggs. They would empty their cupboards of these products and make lots of pancakes before lent started.
Other pancake races that take place in London are the ‘Great Spitalfields Pancake Race, from the Old Truman Brewery, The ‘Inter-Livery Pancake Race foam Guildhall Yard and Better Bankside Pancake Day Race from Borough Market.
