Sweet or sour? We judged Lancaster students’ pancakes

In a world full of sleepless nights before deadlines and essays to write, Pancake Day is one of only a few days that brings joy across campus. For some, it’s the best day of 2023 full stop, or you just think it’s a great excuse to eat the ultimate combination of sugary heaven without the guilt.

But what better way to celebrate Pancake Day than to see how Lancs students handled the pressure in the kitchen? Some handled it well. Some handled it ‘interestingly’. And some just gave up and went to The Deli. So, guided by a GCSE in Food Preparation and Nutrition, I let my inner Gordon Ramsay out and took a look.

The to go ‘pancake’

Pancakes are meant to be made with love and savoured in the mouth. But this one doesn’t give either vibe. However, I can’t argue with the fact that sometimes it isn’t possible to get the chef whites on. The “pancake” has a nice and light colouring, the fresh lemon gives a zesty flavour without the mess of some more elaborate fillings, and indeed the internal filling is so well folded that I couldn’t figure it out.

Rating: 4/10

The action shot pancake

It looks like there’s actually two pancakes to review here, and the one at the front (which seems to be getting a lot more attention) appears to have a greater consistency, and would be a good home for Nutella. Or lemon and sugar. Or syrup. Whatever takes your fancy, really. It’s a shame that we didn’t get to see it in all it’s glory.

Rating: 5/10

The pile of pancakes

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I’ll be honest – I’m pretty sure I’ve bought pancakes that look identical to these from Sainsbury’s before. They look very similar to the double chocolate ones… But maybe that’s just the angle, and honestly – who cares? This pile of pancakes looks to have a consistent colour. Again, there seems to be a fear of showing off the toppings in the submissions so far – but I’m still pretty certain there’s some chocolate in there. So this entry gets extra points for that.

Rating: 7/10

The teddy bear pancake

With a healthy topping of Nutella (other chocolate-hazelnut spreads are available), the chef who submitted this image has expertly done something that no other entry has – use different sized pancakes to great effect. Either that, or it was a really interesting time in the kitchen. I’ll excuse the burnt ear pancakes because IT’S A TEDDY.

Rating: 9/10.

The love pancake

I like this pancake. In fact, I could almost say I love this pancake.

With a healthy topping of nutella and banana, this entry wins the topping game so far. The actual pancakes aren’t game changers though – they’re slightly burnt around the edges and it does feel like the Nutella is hiding a burnt pancake top. The hearts would make it a near perfect Valentine’s breakfast for a special one.

Sadly, Valentine’s was last week, and I have to deduct points for the burnt pancakes here.

Rating: 7/10

The build your own pancake

With a great selection of toppings, including bananas, fresh lemons, raspberries, Nutella, sugar, and a random box of red velvet, this lucky trio look like they were certainly able to dig into some lovely pancakey goodness.

There was originality in the pancake shaping department, here too, and it’s the first time I’ve certainly ever seen a pig shaped pancake.

With great toppings and unique shaping skills, this trio of pancake makers scores a solid 8/10.

The ice cream pancake

This luxurious ice cream pancake makes me want to put on my Masterchef voice as I write about it.

Well presented with a consistent appearance to the pancake itself, the pancake is also served with what appears to be chocolates straight out of a Thornton’s selection box. It’s clear that either the person who sent us this is secretly a professional chef, or they’ve been into town. But who can blame them with this?

Rating: 9/10

The fruit and bran pancake

Firstly, I must compliment the photography!

Your opinion whether this pancake is good will, quite honestly, depend on whether you like fruit and bran. Fortunately, I quite happen to like fruit and bran. And the rest of the pancake is no slouch, either – with great toppings including banana and syrup, and very nice looking pancakes too with consistency so good I almost thought they were bought in M&S.

Rating: 10/10

The selection pancake

Last, but by no means least, is this assortment of pancakes. The topping selection is immense – with bananas, what appears to be Biscoff spread, whipped cream, hazelnut and I’m sure many more goodies under the hood. The folding is slightly inconsistent but sadly we do have to consider the reality of fitting a dish on to a plate. I’m impressed – I’d be happy being served this at somewhere quite high end.

Rating: 9/10

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off for a pancake.

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