More than 135 million pancakes will be scoffed on Tuesday (an average of seven pancakes per household, according to new research), yet the nation is divided when it comes to how to turn a pancake, with a gung-ho 49 percent saying the only way is to flip it in the air.
The remaining 51 percent are more cautious, turning their pancake carefully with a spatula to avoid making a mess.
Of the turners, over half (54 percent) admit that they are too scared of ruining the pancake to flip, while one in five (20 percent) can’t be bothered to clear up any mess.
Some distinct characteristics of flippers were revealed, with one in three (35 percent) describing themselves as adventurous.
When it comes to the nation’s overall favourite toppings, lemon and sugar (61 percent) emerged as the clear favourite, one in four (23 percent) will be enjoying chocolate spread and strawberries, while one in ten (11 percent) are partial to a bit of bacon and syrup.
One in two (47 percent) would like to be more adventurous with their filling and topping choices, yet a third (37 percent) hadn’t considered peanut butter as a partner for pancakes, and 9 percent would never choose mushrooms, ham or smoked salmon.
Flippers claim to be the most romantic (31 percent), have a lot of friends (20 percent), a great social life (16 percent) and a successful career (15 percent).
But those who carefully turn their pancake emerged as more loyal and dependable (65 percent) and are more likely to be in a long-term relationship (47 percent), according to the findings.
Whole Earth commissioned the survey for its super smooth, squeezy peanut butter – Drizzler – perfect for drizzling over pancakes. But despite peanut butter ranking as one of the UK’s most popular spreads, it fell outside of the nation’s favourite pancake toppings.
Nicola Turner at Whole Earth said: “Our research reveals the nation is divided when it comes to how to turn a pancake, yet one thing is clear, we are getting more adventurous when it comes to pancake recipes. But the nation is missing out, as peanut butter isn’t enjoying the spotlight it deserves on Pancake Day – even among risk taking flippers.
“That’s why Whole Earth has made things even easier, with our game-changing squeezy Drizzler, which is perfect for drizzling over pancakes – it’s peanut butter but not as you know it to make life easier. We’re on a mission to make peanut butter – the former delicious underdog of pancake day – THE trending pancake topping.”
Asked what they think of people who don’t flip their pancakes, a half (48 percent) say they are missing out on all the fun, one in three (28 percent) believe they need to throw caution to the wind while a quarter (22 percent) think they are missing the point of Pancake Day.
One in four (26 percent) admit they are married to a turner and say that it can cause arguments on Pancake Day about flipping or not (66 percent).
Whole Earth has teamed up with TV chef, Simon Rimmer, to encourage Brits to enjoy peanut butter on their pancakes and help win its place in the nation’s favourite toppings, by squeezing more out of Pancake Day with his Simon Rimmer’s Pancake Day Winners recipes.
Simon Rimmer added: “It can be a nerve-wracking thing, flipping a pancake, especially with a hungry audience watching and waiting, but there is a definite technique. But even with risk taking flippers leading the charge when it comes to more adventurous toppings, the results found that peanut butter didn’t make the top 10 favourite list – even though millions of Brits love it.”
The pancake capital of the UK is LONDON, where people will eat an average of eight, followed by Leicester (7.6), Liverpool (7.4), Oxford (7.4) and Sheffield (7.3).
A half (51 percent) admit they’ve experienced a pancake disaster when flipping, but say it is all part of the fun. One in four (25 percent) said cleaning up after a flipping disaster was a pain.
A third (30 percent) of the nation’s parents admit to feeling under pressure with loads of fillings and toppings on Pancake Day, with four in ten (40 percent) celebrating the day mainly for them.
Three quarters (76 percent) of those without children will celebrate the day for themselves.
The secret to a successful Pancake Day is to make enough batter (52 percent), never underestimate the number of pancakes everyone will eat (35 percent), lubricate the pan (33 percent) and use a decent saucepan (33 percent).
A third (30 percent) think the secret is to have enough toppings, while one in four (25 percent) would never cheat and buy a batter mix.
One in five (20 percent) always make their batter in the morning and refrigerate it.
ARE YOU A FLIPPER OR A TURNER?
| FLIPPER | TURNER |
| More adventurous (35 percent compared to 25 percent of turners) | More loyal (64 percent compared to 48 percent of flippers) |
| More romantic (31 percent compared to 22 percent) | More likely to be in a long term committed relationship (47 percent compared to 37 percent) |
| Bigger risk takers (30 percent compared to 12 percent) | Most likely to be a parent (40 percent compared to 35 percent) |
| Have a great social life (16 percent compared to 13 percent) | More likely to air on the side of caution (34 percent compared to 17 percent) |
| Have a successful career (15 percent compared to 13 percent) | Hate taking risks (20 percent compared to 10 percent) |
| Love adrenaline sports (16 percent compared to 8 percent) | Have more holidays (27 percent compared to 22 percent) |
For Simon Rimmer’s Pancake Day Winners, and more information about Drizzler squeezy peanut butter, head to www.wholeearthfoods.com
Jenny has been reporting on small business issues since 2001 where she held a number of freelance positions across the leading SME publications in the UK. Specialist subjects included SME financing and tax.