How to make the 'best pancakes in the universe'

Last week, in her unbeatable guide to Oxfordshire, Jo Rodgers claimed to have uncovered the world's — actually the universe's — best pumpkin pancakes.

Where? Five Little Pigs in Wallingford.

'They’re warmly spiced and have a texture like crisped-up cake and they come with mascarpone, a rich seasonal fruit (poached blood oranges, figs, and so on), and a pitcher of maple syrup. I don’t want to oversell it but they are the best pumpkin pancakes in the universe.'

So, we spoke to the team at Five Little Pigs and they kindly agreed to share the recipe with us — and with all of you — in time for Shrove Tuesday.

Happy flipping.

Pumpkin pancakes

Makes 24 pancakes

Ingredients

240g pumpkin puree

480ml oat milk

160ml maple syrup

90ml cold pressed rapeseed oil

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 tsp vanilla bean paste

500g plain flour

2 tbsp baking powder

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 tsp mixed spice

Pinch of Maldon salt

Method

First, begin by making your pumpkin puree — pumpkins will store incredibly well in the right conditions, so it’s always worth having one hanging around somewhere.

Carefully cut your pumpkin into crescents without worrying about peeling, and either steam or simmer gently until tender enough to scrape the flesh from the skin.

Blitz until smooth, and weigh out 240g. Freeze any remaining puree for sauces or another batch of pancakes.

Gently combine the rest of your wet ingredients in a decent sized mixing bowl, and leave to sit for a few minutes.

Combine your dry ingredients, and add carefully to the wet (being mindful not to overwork as this will make the pancakes chewy). You just need to ensure no streaks of flour remain, and the mix looks relatively even.

Wipe a good non-stick pan with a small piece of kitchen roll covered in neutral oil. You shouldn’t see any residue left loose in the pan- it should just look slightly shiny and get it warming on a medium heat.

Using a small ladle, gently pour some batter into the pan. Increase the heat ever so slightly, and cook until bubbles start to appear on the top of the pancakes. Then, using a good metal spatula or palette knife, flip. Leave to cook on the other side for 30 seconds or so before moving them to somewhere warm while you continue with the next batch.

If there happen to be any leftovers, they do keep — store in slightly damp cloth in the fridge, and briefly re-warm in the same hot, dry pan.

We like to serve ours with thick mascarpone and warm honey-glazed figs (with a healthy scattering of toasted nuts or homemade granola) but to each their own! Bacon, fried banana and maple syrup is another winning combination, as is a good lump of salted butter.