Poorly Pancakes & Blueberry Super Syrup

There's a strange wheezing sensation going on in my lungs. 

It's called Bronchitis and I've been well and truly struck down by the bugger.

I've spent days cooped up, coughing and spluttering under a fortress of blankets, reading book after book, watching film after film, guzzling Lucozade by the gallon and exceeding the recommended daily intake of Strepsils easily by ten.

The doctor's orders were "strong antibiotics and rest."

I think he might have forgotten to mention one more remedy.

These are my Poorly Pancakes and they happen to be the only thing I look forward to whilst I'm feeling under the weather.

Not only are they deliciously fluffy and gluten free, they're also high in Vitamin K and full of antioxidants which boost the immune system and protect your ticker.

Exactly what you need when you're a poorly panda. 

(Especially as they're also painful easy and ready to go in under ten minutes flat.)

The speedy secret behind my pancakes is all thanks to Nigella. I've kept a jar of her Homemade Instant Pancake Mix in my cupboard for as long as I can remember. 

It lasts forever, takes no time at all to throw together and makes four batches worth of the fluffiest American pancakes known to mankind!

In a big jar, sift in:

4 cups of plain flour (I use a regular gluten free blend)

3 tbsp baking powder

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 tbsp caster sugar

(1 tsp Xantham Gum if using gluten free flour)

To make four thick pancakes, enough for two people, all you need is:

1 cup full of your ready made pancake mix

1 big knob melted butter

1 cup of milk

1 egg

And for the syrup:

1 pack of fresh blueberries

200ml good quality maple syrup

Okay. Take one cup of your pancake mix and add it to a large mixing bowl.

Pour in your milk...

Crack in an egg...

Melt your butter in a saucepan and throw that in too...

And give it a whisk!

If you're lazy like me you'll use an electric handheld instead of a wooden spoon. If not, then take the day off. These and Poorly Pancakes, after all.

You should be left with a firm, thick, creamy batter.

Give it a few minutes to rest and get your blueberry syrup ready.

On a low heat, add your blueberries to a saucepan.

Pour in the maple syrup, just enough to cover the berries.

It keeps well and can be used for drizzling over ice cream and porridge later on in the week when you're feeling back to your best.

Whilst that gently bubbles away, heat a large, oiled frying pan and fill a small pancake sized disk with your batter.

After a couple of minutes, release your pancake, flip it over and repeat.

A few minutes on each side should do the trick. If you've made them extra thick you can double check they're ready by gently pressing with a spatula. If any batter seeps from the sides, give them a little bit longer.

Keep them covered until you're ready to serve.

When the syrup turns deep purple and most of the blueberries have popped, pour it into a jug and put it on the table, ready for your pancakes.

Stack 'em up high and get drizzling!

Wriggle under your duvet in fluffy socks and whack on a series of Homeland.

Maybe being poorly isn't so crepe after all.

Chinese Crispy Duck 'n' Hoisin Pancakes

The chefs at my local take-out have got some serious explaining to do.

You see, I've ordered the crispy duck pancakes for as long as I can remember. 

I think of them as the ultimate comfort food decadence; a sweet & sour, crunchy but soft present, gift wrapped in silver foil and delivered to my front doorstep.

I always thought that those chefs slaved over my crispy duck for hours.

I've recently realised just how wrong I was.

My take on the dish is ten times more delicious than any peking duck I've ever ordered in & thanks to a few nifty short cuts, it can be on the dinner table in just 45 minutes. Minimal prep, minimal fuss, maximum deliciousness. To make enough for four people as a starter or a large main dish for two, you'll need to get yourself:

One large duck

A few packs of chinese pancakes, approx 20

6 chunky spring onions

1 cucumber 

1 jar of hoisin sauce

5 tbsp Chinese five spice

Preheat your oven to 200 and go catch your duck. Spread it out onto a large oven dish skin side up and generously sprinkle over your spice mix. Give it a rub, making sure the skin is generously coated, and pop it in the oven for 40 minutes.

Simple as that, duck done.

Whilst the bird's crisping up, slice your cucumber and spring onions into long, thin matchsticks. I like to remove the fleshy part of the cucumber to keep my wraps from going soggy. I do this by chopping it lengthways & scooping it out with a tea spoon.

Arrange your veg on a plate and leave it to chill in the fridge.

Depending on your knife skills, your duck should be just about done. Take it out of the oven, spoon over the fizzling juices and crank the temperature up to full whack.

Pop it back inside for another five to ten minutes or until charred and crispy all over.

Lay the table, pour the wine and fill a small bowl with a glug or two of your hoisin sauce. Grab your veggies from the fridge and take your duck back out of the oven.

Heat your pancakes in the microwave for 30 seconds until piping hot, and whilst your dinner guests salivate uncontrollably, shred the duck using two forks. I like to leave a few good chunks untouched just to prove that it really is homemade.

Hand out the pancakes, slap on your hoisin, sprinkle the greens & load up with duck.

Comforting, ridiculously easy and knocked up in no time at all. This has become an all time favourite Friday night supper in my household, a quacker of a recipe, if you will.



I'll leave you to fight amongst yourselves for those shards of crispy skin, but before I go, why should you never share a bathroom with a duck? Because it might be 'peking'!

M1LK & Pancakes. & Eggs, Smoothies, Bacon...

My favourite kind of breakfasts are the ones which revisit you in your daydreams for the rest of the week, over and over and over again.

Last week, ladies and gentlemen, I had one of those breakfasts.

I grabbed my Pops and headed to Balham to meet A and M. Spot the sister, eh?

We were ushered to our seats outside of a little place on the corner called M1LK.

(Don't believe everything you read, folks. Turns out 'Alma's' is a full on fib.)

We were handed menus on clipboards and seated side-by-side to a bunch of locals, regulars who had spent more afternoon's in M1LK than they wished to divulge.

I spotted fruit smoothies served in milk bottles and was naturally compelled to order one of each flavour. The Billie, a mangoey dream, was my absolute favourite. 

Slurpy juice in hand, I set off to see what we were working with.

I'd heard the M1LK chefs bake fresh cakes and cookies all day, every day.

Turns out I'd heard right. That right there is the Strawberry Milk Cake, fully equipped with crushed Party Ring rubble and strawberry butter cream icing.

And look at this! Pistachio cake with yuzu butter cream and oxalis petals. Stunning.

We helped ourselves to fruit infused water before returning to our seats.

And were greeted with tea, milk bottle smoothies and juices. Hand pressed, homemade and down right delicious.

Quite similarly to the grub.

First up, The Convict. A buttery muffin loaded with locally sourced sausage and bacon, eggs & cheese and topped with Hangover Sauce.

I genuinely need to know what is in that sauce.

Mouthwateringly good and a dream to photograph.

A went for Eggs Two Ways, an eggy, spicy sausage, crispy spinach and feta omelette tucked away below a creamy, gooey poached egg and sourdough slices.

And M chose Billie The Wild, honeycomb, goats cheese, sourdough and flowers. Simple, sweet, stunning to look at and really, really lovely to eat.

Just like the pancakes.

Oh the pancakes.

Light, fluffy cakes served with mascarpone, berries, brittle & sticky maple syrup. Sadly these beauties don't appear on the regular menu, but head down on a Saturday morning and you might just be lucky enough to find them on the specials board.

A beautiful combination of sweet and savory, my favourite.

If you find yourself in the area, you can find M1LK right here. I'd say it's well worth a visit, just be prepared to wait your turn to be seated and spend all of your pocket money on a slice of each cake. You won't be disapointed.

Caution: excess pancakes munching and smoothie slurpin' can result in leg malfunction and giggle overload when under the influence of a camera.



I hope you had a nice weekend - what did you get up to? Any memorable breakfasts to tell me about?