Traditionally on Shove Tuesday, otherwise known as ‘Pancake Day’, British people will cook and eat pancakes! The custom is to use up all the ‘rich’ foods in the cupboard before the period of Lent begins.
Therefore, on Shrove Tuesday, as is the tradition, we held our annual Pancake Party at BISC. A team of wonderful helpers from Holy Trinity Church in Nailsea, led by head chef Ian Knight, treated us to a feast of delights and flavours as they cooked fresh crepes before our eyes. There was a wonderful array of fresh savoury fillings to tantalise our taste buds –the veggie chilli filling certainly made my mouth tingle!
The crepes were huge in size and whilst we let our main course go down, we heard a short talk about Pancakes, Easter and Lent from John Watson. He informed us that Shrove Tuesday is part of the traditional Christian calendar and Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the beginning of Lent, which starts the day after -Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, the things that the Church encouraged people to give up were meat and fish, fats, eggs and milky foods. Because of this it became customary for people to use up their fats and eggs before Lent started by making pancakes. Shrove Tuesday is not just about using up food though. It has a special significance of its own. According to Christian beliefs, Lent commemorates Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness, and observant Christians mark this period by fasting. So Shrove Tuesday was cleverly invented to use up the ingredients that were given up for Lent - milk, butter and, particularly, eggs - which may not be eaten again until Easter.
We also heard that Easter was an important part of the Christian calendar as it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the most important Christian festival, and the one celebrated with the greatest joy. The Easter story is at the heart of Christianity. On Good Friday, Jesus Christ was executed by crucifixion. His body was taken down from the cross, and buried in a tomb. The tomb was guarded and an enormous stone was put over the entrance, so that no-one could steal the body. On the following Sunday, some women visited the grave and found that the stone had been moved, and that the tomb was empty. Jesus himself was seen that day, and for days afterwards by many people. His followers realised that God had raised Jesus from the dead.
After the talk, we indulged some more in sweet pancakes with an endless choice of filling combinations. The banana and toffee sauce combination was a winner! At the end of the evening, we left with full tummies and the knowledge as to why pancakes are eaten at this time of year, as well as enjoying each other’s company, good conversation and another fun evening together at BISC.
