Pancake Day falls on March 4th, 2025, the last day of decadence before we (try to) give things up for Lent. If you’re marking Pancake Day this year, your options in Oxford are - pardon the pun - stacked, with plenty of local cafés and eateries offering their delicious spin on a simple classic. With that in mind, the Daily Info staff have put together some of their favourites to mark the occasion.
Niamh: For me, the pancake I plump for is always going to be the Maple and Oat Pancakes at the Handlebar Café on St. Michael’s Street, a great independent brunch joint lined with cycling paraphernalia. Maybe it’s because of the fond memories attached to them - I ordered a plateful at a brunch my college pals organised to celebrate the end of our finals, so I’ll always associate them with the sweet, sweet taste of never having to memorise Chaucer again. But even without that added seasoning, they’re still an indulgent, yet surprisingly healthy breakfast treat. You can’t go wrong with the classic pairing of oats and maple syrup, something a little toasty to cut through the sweetness. Their tart berry and raspberry compote topping is offset by a creamy slather of coconut yoghurt and banana slices; and did I mention they're completely vegan?? The pancakes themselves are made with banana flour, lending them a subtle fruitiness while still leaving them fluffy and with plenty of body (though, you CAN add bacon if you just can’t resist).
Sophia: Nestled into the covered market’s stony square on Cornmarket Street, this Japanese pancake place serves up enormous, ultra airy souffle pancakes. FuwaFuwa means ‘fluffy’ in Japanese, and these bouncy, puck-shaped rounds make even thick American-style pancakes seem deflated by comparison. The un-soggy consistency and mild sweetness pairs well with luxurious toppings, and FuwaFuwa offers a delectable selection, from Blueberry and Yuzu Cheesecake, Lotus Biscoff, the classic Summer Fruits, and more.
Russ: The Breakfast Club has slowly become a key fixture of the Westgate food landscape, bringing breakfast and brunch cuisine with a distinct American flavour. And that includes their short stack pancakes. These varieties are smaller, fluffier and chunkier. You can’t turn them into a crepe but they can really make an amazing brunch food. Especially at The Breakfast Club with the amount of toppings you can choose from. Sweet options include strawberries, banana, chocolate ganache and passion fruit cheesecake, whilst savory includes bacon, egg and hash browns. The pancakes stretch out to other parts of the menu, and Daily Info recommends the Big Stack – three pancakes, crispy bacon, hash browns, sausage patty, cheese and sunny side up eggs. The Breakfast Club is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 3pm, Saturdays, 8am to 6pm, and Sundays, 8am to 5pm. It can be found the rooftop terrace in the Westgate and comes with a wonderfully kitschy, faux-dinner set-up.
But if nothing beats the comforts of home, have no fear - we’ve also got a couple of foolproof recipes for you to try in your own kitchen:
A pair of pancake recipes for you to try out
4 oz (125g) plain white flour
a pinch of salt
2 eggs
½ pint (300ml) milk (you can use half milk, half water if you’re that way inclined)
2oz (60g) melted butter OR a couple of tablespoons of oil (optional but nice)
1 tablespoon of rum, brandy, beer or gin (ditto)
Everything should be as close to room temperature as possible.
1. Put the flour and salt in a bowl and crack in the eggs. Mix together till smooth. If you're not using fat, go straight to step 3.
2. Mix in the butter (if you like, you can heat it in your pancake pan first until it foams and goes light brown – this will make the pancakes taste pleasantly nutty). Or add the oil, if you’re using that, but in that case don’t do the foaming thing.
3. Mix in the milk (gradually at first) and finally the optional alcohol.
You can leave it to stand for an hour at this point, but if it’s not convenient, don’t bother.
4. Butter or oil a frying pan (preferably non-stick) and heat it. It needs to be at about 4 or 5 on a 6-setting hob dial. When hot, add about 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake. Cook for just under a minute on one side and very briefly on the other.
Keep your cooked pancakes warm while you make the rest (they can be kept overnight wrapped in foil if you like and reheated the next day).
Fill them with cheese, ham, spring onions, pasta sauce, feta and tomatoes, jam, baked beans, chocolate sauce, houmous, cream, blueberries, bananas, yoghurt, honey and lemon juice, cinnamon and brown sugar, maple syrup, ice cream or whatever else is around.
Mix together equal quantities (by volume) of buckwheat flour and oat milk to get a really thick glutinous grey batter.
Fry them in a non-stick pan with plenty of oil to make surprisingly tasty blini-style cakes. They are particularly good with houmous, chopped spring onion and/or roast veg... or honey and lemon or chocolate spread or pecan-caramel sauce and strawberries.
However you like your pancakes, grab a knife and fork and get stuck in!