It is October! I cannot believe it, where has the time gone? We are now six days into the tenth month of the year, it is cold, grey, raining and I nursing my first sore throat of the season. I did have plans for the weekend but I have had to abandon them in order to indulge in some well needed self care. It started with asking Nacho to make me a cup of Lemsip. When I woke up this morning, my throat hurt and it felt like my head was about to explode. The Lemsip was like a miracle drink as a few hours later I felt a little more human. I decided that what I needed was a nice cooked breakfast, that did not take too much time and effort. Last week I resurrected an old favourite pancake recipe from Delia Smith. I used to make this recipe in the days when my youngest sister used to spend weekends with me, it used to be a great start to a Sunday morning. Last Sunday I wanted to cook a nice birthday breakfast for my friend so we made these pancakes with bacon and strawberries and blueberries. The combination of the sweet and savoury was just mouth watering.

It is not surprising that this morning,  I had the craving to eat yet more pancakes. I whipped up a batch of pancakes, wolfed them down with maple syrup and crème fraîche and now I feel very nice, if not a little sleepy.

Ingredients
4fl oz/120ml buttermilk
5oz/150g plain flour
½ level tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3 large eggs, beaten
about 1-2oz/25-50g lard

To serve
lots of pure maple syrup and crème fraîche

Method
First sieve the flour, baking powder and salt together in a roomy bowl and make a well in the centre. After that, whisk the buttermilk and 3fl oz/75ml cold water together in a jug and gradually whisk this into the bowl, slowly incorporating the flour with each new addition of liquid. Finally, add the eggs a little at a time until you have a smooth batter.

Now place a large, solid frying pan over a medium heat, add 2 teaspoons of the lard and heat it until the fat shimmers. Then, using a tablespoon of batter per pancake, place 2 or 3 spoonfuls into the pan.

They will take about 1 minute to turn golden brown, then turn them over using a spatula and fork, being careful not to splash yourself with the hot fat. Give them another 45 seconds on the other side, by which time they should have puffed up like little soufflés, then briefly rest them on some kitchen paper to absorb any excess fat.

Repeat this with the rest of the batter, adding a little more lard if necessary. They will keep warm in a low oven, but to enjoy them at their best, have everyone seated to eat them as soon as they come out of the pan.