Today, as the nation limbers up to start flipping pancakes this Shrove Tuesday (5th February), a survey by Lyle’s Golden Syrup has surprisingly revealed that while 47 million of us will be tucking into pancakes, a whopping third of the population don’t know what Pancake Day represents! 1.8 million of us wrongly believe that the day commemorates the Last Supper with Jesus and the disciples, when in fact it represents the last day before the start of Lent.

Some Brits were way off the mark, even thinking that Pancake Day is:

• A celebration of annual pancake tossing competitions!
• A traditional celebration of pancake races
• A ploy by frying pan manufacturers to sell more pancakes

However it seems lack of awareness of the real meaning won’t stop an impressive 67% of us making our own pancakes from scratch, and smothering them with various toppings, when the day arrives. Research[1] shows that the nation’s toppings of preference are lemon juice and sugar (57%) and golden syrup (21%). As a nation, our love for pancakes goes back a long way. In fact, pancake recipes feature in cookbooks as far back as 1439! The tradition of tossing or flipping them is almost as old and to this day captures the imagination of us Brits each year, with pancake races and flipping competitions across the breadth of the country. But sadly most of us Brits show off our pancake tossing skills just once a year, on Pancake Day, leaving our love of pancakes dormant for the majority of the year! So, why don’t we eat pancakes more often? Who says the pancake fun has to stop at Lent? Lyle’s Golden Syrup research shows that a third of pan dodgers who haven’t enjoyed a pancake in the last year ‘cannot be bothered to make them…’ even though they like them! Let the year long revival of pancakes begin! Preparing a delicious pancake doesn’t require a great deal of skill, and can often be done in next to no time – you never know you may even end up surprising yourself! To encourage the nation to rediscover its taste for pancakes for Pancake Day and beyond, Lyle’s Golden Syrup is launching the Pancake Appreciation Society, an online portal - www.welovepancakes.com - for all to share their love of pancakes. The site is guaranteed to tantalise taste buds of both the already converted ‘pancake crazed’ and the unsure ‘pancake dazed’! The Pancake Appreciation Society website will give you the tips and confidence you need to get flipping and enough topping suggestions to keep you going well into pancake infinity!

The Pancake Appreciation Society features:

• Easy-peasy pancake recipes
• Loads of delicious topping suggestions
• Competitions
• Tips from fellow pancake lovers and the opportunity to share your own
• …And previewing from the 28th January, a quirky film and music dedicated to pancakes!

For more information on Pancake Appreciation Society, the Lyle’s Golden Syrup research or for pancake recipe ideas, please contact Lucy Jones or Heather Richardson on 020 7815 3900. [1] Lyle’s Golden Syrup, TNS Omnibus, Nov 2007