In England, the two days before Ash Wednesday were known as Collop Monday and Shrove Tuesday. Collop Monday, now long forgotten, was the day to finish off any meat, and Shrove Tuesday was the day when eggs and butter were used up – all in preparation for the rigours of Lent.

Shrove Tuesday is now better known, and much loved, as Pancake Day, and this year it falls on February 17. I’m not so sure many English people observe the strict traditions of Lent nowadays, but they still enjoy pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.

Pancakes are very versatile. They can be sweet or savoury, with the savoury ones having any number of fillings. We favour chicken and mushrooms, coated with béchamel sauce, sprinkled with cheese and then baked, or prawns with ricotta and spinach.

I think traditional sweet pancakes are nicest served plain with just a sprinkling of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, but some prefer toppings of jam or golden syrup. My father was a devoted pancake eater, and when asked how many he wanted, he always said: “Just keep ’em coming”! He liked to smother them with golden syrup, as does one of my sons, but that’s much too rich for me.

The pièce de résistance of the sweet pancake world must surely be crêpes Suzette – pancakes soaked in a delicious mixture of butter, orange juice and orange liqueur and then flambéed at the table.

Pancakes are very versatile. They can be sweet or savoury, with the savoury ones having any number of fillings

American breakfast pancakes are different in that they use more flour and less milk, and they are served in a stack with maple syrup, often with bacon strips on the side. A stack usually means a pile of six pancakes – for serious eater only – whereas a short stack is normally a more manageable three. They are really the same as English drop scones, sometimes called Scotch pancakes, which are served warm as a teatime treat spread with butter, strawberry jam and clotted cream.

Blinis are Russian pancakes, made with buckwheat flour and yeast and often served with caviar and vodka. Buckwheat, in spite of its name, is not a grain but the seeds of the buckwheat plant and is gluten-free. I’m not overly fond of it, and as I’m not gluten-intolerant, I prefer to use wholemeal flour with the bran sieved out and baking powder instead of yeast. Like ordinary pancakes, blinis can have a variety of toppings, but probably the most popular is cream cheese and smoked salmon.

For my recipe, I’ve left Russia and gone to Italy. I put Parmesan in the batter and kept the cream cheese, but instead of smoked salmon, I used Parma ham. You can serve them as a starter, as a light lunch or supper with a salad, or make mini-blinis to serve with drinks.

Plain pancakes freeze well so it’s worth making loads. Any leftovers can be layered with greaseproof paper, rolled up and stowed away in a plastic bag where they will keep for a month. Defrost them and put each one into a hot, lightly greased frying pan, cook for a minute each side and they’re as good as new.

Traditional pancakes

(Makes 8 large pancakes)

I fry my pancakes in lard. You can use butter or sunflower oil instead, but whatever you use, you only need a tiny amount to lightly grease the pan.

120g plain flour
Pinch of salt
2 small eggs
300ml milk
Lard, butter or oil for greasing
Sugar and lemon wedges to serve

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Drop in the eggs and start to whisk, drawing in the flour and gradually adding the milk until you have a smooth batter. Strain the batter into a jug.

Heat a frying pan until very hot, then grease it with your chosen fat. Pour in the batter (I use a 60ml, quarter-cup measure for each pancake) and swirl it round the pan to cover the bottom of the pan completely.

Let it cook for about a minute until set on top and golden brown underneath, then using a palette knife, flip it over and brown the other side. Fold the pancake into three and transfer it to a plate.

Keep warm in a low oven while you fry the rest.

Serve with sugar and lemon wedge (or golden syrup if you absolutely must).

Chicken and mushroom pancakes

(Serves 4)

120g plain flour
1 tsp mixed dried herbs
Salt and pepper
1 large egg
300ml milk
30g butter
1 whole chicken breast, diced
1 onion, chopped
150g mushrooms, chopped
1 tbsp each chopped parsley and celery leaves
300ml béchamel sauce
1 tbsp dried breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tbsp grated Parmesan

Sift the flour into a bowl, stir in the herbs and season with salt and pepper.

Make a well in the centre, add the egg and whisk, drawing in the flour and gradually adding the milk until you have a smooth batter.

Make eight 20-cm pancakes and pile them on to a plate.

Melt the butter in a frying pan and when foaming, add the chicken and fry just until it loses its raw colour.

Transfer to a plate and add the onion to the pan and fry until it starts to soften, then stir in the mushrooms and cook for two minutes more.

Return the chicken to the pan, add the parsley, celery and about 100ml of the béchamel, then season well with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

Lay the pancakes out on the work surface and divide the mixture between them, spreading it across the middle, then roll them up and put them in a single layer into a well-buttered baking dish.

Drizzle over the remaining béchamel and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and cheese.

Bake for about 20 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Blinis with Parma ham

(Makes 8 to 10 pancakes)

110g wholemeal or buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 small eggs, separated
150ml milk
50g grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp snipped chives
Butter
200g tub cream cheese with herbs
Handful rocket leaves
8 slices Parma ham
Crème fraiche, ground black pepper and mixed salad leaves to serve

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre and add the egg yolks.

Start to whisk, drawing in the flour and gradually adding the milk until you have a smooth batter.

Stir in the Parmesan and chives, cover and leave it in the fridge for half an hour. Whisk the egg whites until they stand in soft peaks, then fold them into the batter.

Heat a large frying pan and when it’s hot, melt a small knob of butter. Working in batches and using a large tablespoon of batter for each pancake, make three or four 10-centimetre pancakes at a time.

Cook for two or three minutes until bubbles appear on the surface and they are brown underneath, then flip them over and cook on the other side until brown. Keep warm while you cook the rest, buttering the pan between batches.

Spread the pancakes with cream cheese, sprinkle with a few rocket leaves and ruffle a slice of Parma ham on top.

Add a spoonful of crème fraiche, sprinkle with ground black pepper and serve with some mixed salad leaves.

Blueberry cinnamon pancakes

(Makes approx. 12 pancakes)

200g self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
Large pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 large egg
200ml milk
30g butter, melted
150g blueberries, defrosted if frozen
Maple syrup or honey to serve

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Drop in the egg and stir, drawing in the flour and adding the milk a little at a time until you have a smooth, thick batter. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, then stir it into the batter and return the pan to the heat until it’s hot but not smoking.

Stir in half the blueberries then, using a large tablespoon of batter for each pancake, pour the batter into the pan. Cook three or four at a time for two to three minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes. Flip them over and cook for a minute more. Keep them warm in a low-heat oven lightly covered with foil while you cook the rest, buttering the pan very lightly as necessary.

Stack the pancakes on to warm plates, sprinkle with the rest of the blueberries and drizzle with either syrup or honey.