100g plain flour, 2 eggs, 300ml/½ pint semi-skimmed milk,    1 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil, plus extra for frying

Makes 6-8 medium pancakes

1.         Put the flour in a large bowl and make a hollow centre. Crack the eggs into the hollow, pour in a splash of the milk and, using a balloon whisk or wooden spoon, start to stir from the centre of the bowl, drawing the flour into the eggs and milk. Beat the mix until smooth then stir in the rest of the milk until it's the consistency of single cream. Stir in the oil.

2.  Put a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Pour 1cm oil into a heatproof jug and keep it to hand. Add a drop of oil to the pan, swirl it around and
pour off any excesss back into the jug. Pour in a ladle of batter, tilting the pan and swirling the batter to give a thin, even layer. Leave the pancake alone for 30 secs, or until it starts to colour around the edge. Don't crank up the heat if this takes longer - as you'll burn the pancake and it won't flip.

3. With a fish slice, ease the edge of the pancake away from the pan, then loosen underneath. Check that the bottom is golden, then turn it over in one quick movement or, if you’re brave and confident enough, give it a flip. Cook for another 30 secs before turning out onto a plate. Eat immediately!

Make it Special!

To make sticky vanilla banana pancakes, warm half a bottle of ready-made toffee sauce in a small saucepan. Add a large banana sliced into rounds with a drop of vanilla extract or seeds from half a vanilla pod. Serve over pancakes with softly whipped cream and a sprinkling of toasted flaked almonds.