Trifter

Shrove Tuesday is the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent is observed by some Christian denominations as a period of semi fasting and preparation, it comes to an end in the days before Easter Sunday (different Christian traditions have slightly different end times). Traditionally Shrove Tuesday was a day to use up eggs milk fat and sugar before the more sombre period of Lent when only plain food was eaten and people avoided pleasure giving foods. Shrove Tuesday was a day of high spirits and celebration and in UK it was often known as Pancake Day because it was traditional to use up the food unsuitable for Lent by making pancakes.

The main ingredients of English pancakes are eggs, plain flour and milk; this is made of a batter that is not especially thick. The batter is poured into a hot frying pan to cover the base of the pan, the thin layer of batter cooks quickly and has to be turned over to cook the other side. It is traditional to toss the pancake in the pan in order to turn it over. I know from bitter experience that this is not as easy as it looks! Pancakes are usually eaten with sugar and lemon juice.

Not far from my home is an attractive little Buckinghamshire town called Olney which has a long tradition of celebrating Shrove Tuesday with a pancake race. It is believed that the first race was held in 1445 and it continued through the centuries, there must have been times when it wasn’t possible to run the race but this tradition (unlike many other local customs) was never lost. Food rationing and austerity halted the race during the Second World War but the custom was revived in 1948 when the vicar of Olney found old photos of the race in 1920s and 1930s.

The rules restrict entry to women who have lived in Olney for at least three months, and competitors are required to wear the traditional costume of a housewife including a skirt and a head covering and they have to carry a frying pan containing a pancake which they have to toss. The race is a big event and the traffic is brought to a halt as the women run the short distance between the market place and the church. A church service follows the race and other celebrations take place during the day. There are other places that hold pancake races but many do not retain the traditional feel of the Olney Pancake race.