Traditional Shrove Tuesday Pancakes
These are thin, delicate, slightly crisp at the edges. Perfect with lemon & sugar.
Ingredients (serves 4)
100g plain flour
2 large eggs
300ml whole milk
Pinch of salt
1–2 tbsp melted lard or beef dripping (plus extra for the pan)
Method
Whisk flour + salt.
Add eggs and half the milk. Whisk smooth.
Add remaining milk and melted fat. Rest 20–30 mins if you can.
Heat a frying pan, add a small knob of lard.
Pour in enough batter to thinly coat the pan.
Cook 1–2 mins until golden underneath, flip, cook briefly.
Serve immediately.
Mary Mint tip:
Lard gives beautifully crisp lacey edges. Tallow works too but lard is especially traditional here.
Classic topping: lemon juice + caster sugar. Roll, don’t stack.
Alternative toppings
Jam: Spread whilst still really hot so it melts slightly.
Dust with icing sugar if you're feeling fancy!
Golden syrup for that nostalgic childhood taste.
Stewed Apples: Stew apples with: A splash of water; Cinnamon; Tiny bit of sugar or honey.
Serve hot. Lovely with a spoon of thick cream or vanilla ice-cream.
Grated cheddar: On it's own or with a nice bit of sliced ham or
mushrooms cooked in butter or dripping
Fold and let the cheese melt inside.
Banana & Chocolate: Grate a generous amount of good quality chocolate over your hot pancake — I prefer dark, but whatever makes you happy (chocolate buttons if you must…)
Quickly slice over a fresh banana while the chocolate is still melting.
If you’re using dark chocolate, add the tiniest pinch of flaky sea salt. It makes all the difference.
Fold.
Roll.
Gobble immediately.
No plate styling required.
Fluffy American-Style Pancakes
Thick, soft, proper Sunday-brunch energy.
Ingredients (makes 8–10)
200g plain flour; 1 tbsp baking powder; 1 tbsp sugar; Pinch of salt; 2 eggs; 300ml milk; 2 tbsp melted tallow or lard
Method
Mix dry ingredients.
Whisk eggs, milk, melted fat.
Combine gently — don’t overmix (lumps are fine).
Heat pan with a small amount of lard or tallow.
Spoon small rounds into pan.
When bubbles appear (2–3 mins), flip.
Cook until golden.
Mary Mint tip:
Tallow gives a lovely golden crust without making them taste savoury.
Lard keeps them soft and fluffy.
Serving Suggestions
The One & Only (In my opinion!) Bacon & Maple Syrup: Crispy bacon-I grill mine to get a proper crunch;
A Good Drizzle of Proper Maple syrup
The syrup + salty bacon combination is elite. I could eat this every day!
The Classic Stack: Salted butter (let it melt into the top); Proper maple syrup; Tiny pinch of flaky sea salt
Simple. Decadent. Perfect.
Fresh strawberries, blueberries or raspberries; Lightly whipped cream or thick double cream
Dusting of icing sugar
Feels brunchy but still comforting.
Sliced Banana & Warm Peanut Butter; Drizzle of honey or syrup; An optional (but essential-trust me) pinch of sea salt.
Very filling. Slightly addictive.
Homemade McDonald's Style: You know the one — little pancake stack with sausage patties and syrup.
You can absolutely make your own version at home using sausagemeat.
To Make the Sausage Patties:
Good quality sausagemeat
Small pinch of salt & black pepper
Optional: tiny pinch of sage
Roll into balls.
Flatten into thin patties (they shrink as they cook).
Fry gently in a little lard until golden and cooked through.
To Serve:
Pancake; Sausage patty; Pancake; Drizzle of maple syrup
The sweet-salty combination works beautifully.
If you want to go fully indulgent:
Add a slice of cheddar
Or a fried egg
It’s surprisingly easy and feels like a proper weekend treat.
Lard Roasties
The simplest roast potatoes
These are the kind of potatoes that don’t need explaining. Crisp on the outside, soft in the middle, and full of that gorgeous, savoury warmth only proper fat gives.
You’ll need
Floury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward are perfect)
A generous spoonful of pork lard
Sea salt
That’s it.
How to make them
Heat the oven to 200°C (fan) or 220°C (conventional).
Put a spoonful of lard into a roasting tin and slide it into the oven to melt and heat.
Peel and chop your potatoes, then boil them in salted water until just tender — about 10–15 minutes.
Drain and give them a gentle shake in the pan so the edges fluff up. This is what makes them crisp later.
Carefully tip them into the hot fat and turn them so they’re coated. You should hear a little sizzle.
Roast for 45–60 minutes, turning once or twice, until they’re golden, crisp and irresistible.
Season with salt and serve straight from the tray.
A quiet note
If there’s any fat left in the tin, don’t throw it away. Let it cool, pour it into a jar, and keep it for next time.
That’s how good things last.
Beef Dripping Popcorn
If you’ve never made popcorn with beef dripping before, you’re in for a treat. It’s rich, savoury, and wildly moreish — the kind of snack that disappears faster than you expect.
You’ll want a good-quality, heavy-bottomed pan with a lid for this. The thick base helps the dripping heat evenly, and the lid is essential once things start popping… unless you fancy chasing popcorn around the kitchen.
Ingredients
Popcorn kernels; 1 tablespoon beef dripping; Sea salt, to taste
Method
Place your heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat and add the beef dripping. Let it melt and warm through gently — you want it hot, but not smoking.
Add enough popcorn kernels to just cover the base of the pan in a single layer. Pop the lid on and give the pan a gentle shake so the kernels are coated in the dripping.
After a minute or so, you’ll hear the first pops. Once it gets going, keep the pan moving occasionally (a little shake now and then) to stop anything sticking or burning. You may want to adjust the lid to let steam escape so the popcorn stays crisp.
When the popping slows right down to a few seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat. Carefully take off the lid, tip the popcorn into a bowl, and season generously with sea salt while it’s still warm.
Eat immediately — ideally straight from the bowl, ideally with zero regrets.
Optional flavour ideas
This popcorn is excellent as it is, but if you’re feeling playful, try adding:
A pinch of smoked paprika
Finely grated Parmesan
Cracked black pepper
A little garlic powder or dried herbs
Simple, savoury, and dangerously snackable.
Sweet variations
Beef dripping might sound firmly savoury, but it plays surprisingly well with a little sweetness. The key is restraint — just enough to balance the richness, not so much that things turn cloying.
Try one of these while the popcorn is still warm so everything sticks nicely:
Brown sugar & sea salt
A light sprinkle of soft brown sugar and a pinch of sea salt. Simple, classic, and very moreish.
Honey & salt
Warm a teaspoon or two of honey until runny, drizzle lightly, toss well, and finish with flaky salt.
Maple
Maple sugar if you have it, or a very gentle drizzle of maple syrup. Sweet, savoury, and quietly luxurious.
Cinnamon sugar
A mix of caster sugar and a pinch of cinnamon for cosy, nostalgic popcorn energy.
Golden syrup
Just a little, tossed quickly and finished with sea salt. Think fairground flavours with a grown-up edge.
Dark chocolate
Finely grate dark chocolate over the warm popcorn so it melts slightly. Rich, bitter-sweet, and indulgent.
As ever, go gently — beef dripping brings plenty of flavour on its own, and a light hand keeps everything beautifully balanced.
The Ultimate Yorkshire Puddings
These Yorkshire puddings are light, crisp and beautifully risen, made with cornflour and plenty of eggs for a dramatic lift. Perfect for soaking up gravy on a cold, wet Sunday.
Ingredients
200g cornflour (gluten free if needed)
200ml whole milk
6 eggs
Beef dripping, for the tray
Method
Make the batter
Whisk the cornflour in a bowl, then add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking until the batter is smooth and pourable, similar to single cream.
Rest the batter
Leave the batter to rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. This helps create a lighter, crisper pudding.
Heat the oven and fat
Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan).
Add a small spoonful of beef dripping to each hole of a Yorkshire pudding tin and place in the oven until the fat is very hot and just smoking.
Pour and bake
Carefully remove the hot tin from the oven. Pour the batter into the sizzling fat, filling each hole about two-thirds full.
Return to the oven immediately and bake for 20–25 minutes, until puffed up and deeply golden.
Hands off!
Do not open the oven door while they’re baking — they need the heat to stay high to rise properly.
Serve
Best served straight from the oven with roast beef and plenty of gravy — or enjoyed the traditional way with gravy alone.