A day dedicated entirely to pancakes, what is there not to love? Here at the Eat & Drink Festival we like to celebrate all things food and drink everyday, but where does the history of Pancake Day come from?

Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday is the day before the start of lent – Ash Wednesday or the 40 days leading up to Easter – and was originally a day dedicated to the first day of 40 days of fasting. Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession and were absolved of all their sins (or ‘shriven’), and a bell would be rung to call everyone for confession.

Pancake Day was originally the last day to use up all eggs and fats before taking part in 40 days of fasting. The earliest known English pancake recipe is predicted to be from around the 15th century, although pancakes existed all around the world before that.

The Eat & Drink Festival celebrity line-up are experts in all things cooking, baking, and drinks. Here are some of their pancake recipes for you to try this Pancake Day…

Lisa Faulkner has aced the Scotch pancake recipe, and it can even be adapted as a breakfast or dessert treat. Feeling healthy? Why not try Gregg Wallace’s banana and spinach pancakes? For the plant-based pancake fans out there, try Lisa Marley’s pear and apple pancakes. For fluffy, buttermilk pancakes, try John Torode’s recipe, perfect with glazed bacon and maple syrup.

To see your favourite celebrities in action, head to the Eat & Drink Festival 2023, where you can see them take to the Eat & Drink Stage, and offer their best tips and tricks in person, and explore the hundreds of brands on offer at the Artisan Producers Market and Exhibitor stands.