ARE YOU A FLIPPER OR A TURNER?

Ahead of Pancake Day on Tuesday, researchers took an in-depth look into the nation’s pancake habits, with more than 135 million pancakes (an average of seven pancakes per household) set to be collectively scoffed on Tuesday 21 February. 

Yet, the survey revealed 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. 

But the majority of Brits (51 percent) are more cautious, turning their pancake carefully with the 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 also revealed, with one in three (35 percent) describing themselves as adventurous. So surprisingly, findings revealed that flippers tend to choose mainstays like bacon or jam on their pancakes, yet rarely opt for the likes of peanut butter (7 percent).

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 the perfect partner for pancakes, and a combined 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:

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:

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?

THE NATION’S TOP 10 PANCAKE TOPPINGS 

Lemon and sugar 61%

Lemon and syrup 17%

Chocolate spread and strawberries 23%

Chocolate spread and banana 20%

Strawberries and syrup 18%

Banana and syrup 14%

Maple Syrup and banana 13%

Bacon and syrup 11%

Chocolate spread and marshmallows 10%

Blueberries and syrup 10%

Honey and lemon 9%

Cheese and ham 6%

Peanut butter and banana 6% 

Peanut butter and chocolate spread 5% 

Cheese and mushroom 4% 

For Simon Rimmer’s Pancake Day Winners, and more information about Drizzler squeezy peanut butter, head to www.wholeearthfoods.com 

ENDS

Research of 2000 UK based adults commissioned by Whole Earth and conducted by Perspectus Global in February 2023.