Practical cooking tips How to make perfect pancakes

1. A better batter

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1. A better batter (Image 1 of 5)

First things first - you need a batter: Sift 125g plain flour into a large bowl and add a pinch of salt. Make a well in the middle of the flour, beat 1 medium egg then pour it into the middle of the well. Gently whisk the mixture while slowly adding 257ml-300ml semi-skimmed milk.

Keep whisking until you're left with a paste roughly the consistency of double cream. Don't worry if you're struggling to get rid of any floury lumps. Just sieve the mix into another bowl. Leave the mix to rest for about 20 minutes so the starch can swell giving you a lighter batter.

Heat your pan (a 28cm crepe pan is perfect but a smaller heavy-based frying pan will also fit the bill) over a medium heat then when hot, dip some kitchen paper in vegetable or sunflower oil and wipe across the pan's surface. Add a small ladleful of batter and swirl across the pan, evenly and thinly.