Pancakes at The Diner, Spitalfields

Bridget enjoying her pancakes at The Diner

We love pancakes at our house and Bridget in particular, always chooses them for birthday breakfasts or anytime we're eating out for breakfast or brunch.

One cold morning in the early part of the year, Bridget and I had to head into to Shoreditch for a little job Bridget was doing in the area (she does the odd modelling assignment) and I promised her we could head for some pancakes when we were finished. 

After seeking out ideas from Twitter, someone mentioned The Diner in Spitalfields which is where we ventured too. Unsurprisingly enough, it is in the style of an American diner in decor, all red leather booths and menu, from the breakfast options, shakes, and the range of burgers, dogs and other diner-esque cuisine. It reminded me of the fantastic Tick Tock Diner in New York; hearty well-cooked food but with a friendly service. 

Visiting with a then 3-year old, the staff, all of which were dressed in definite Shoreditch hipster attire, were very welcoming and pleasant. Our kind waiter made helpful suggestions and promptly brought an activity pack with colouring in for Bridget which immediately made him a friend.

Bridget and I both chose pancakes - me the simple buttermilk variety, with maple syrup and honey butter and a side of crispy bacon; on holiday these are always my guilty breakfast indulgence and they didn't let me down here. Perfect fluffy pancakes only improved with the salty crunch of bacon and the sweetness of maple syrup. They were simple, hearty and absolutely fantastic on a snowy-cold February morning. 

As it was a treat, I allowed Bridget the chocolate chip pancakes, which were as mine but enhanced with generous chunks of milk chocolate. Also served with maple syrup, which Bridget hadn't had before, she was beside herself with this decadent dessert breakfast/brunch. She chose an adult sized portion as the chocolate chip variety weren't available on the children's menu, which meant three large, fluffy pancakes; and she eat two of them and some of the third which I think is testament to her verdict. I naturally tried them too and they really were delicious. 

Buttermilk Pancakes at The Diner

The Diner offers reasonably priced children's menu too which includes a single buttermilk pancake, a cheeseburger, chicken strips with fries, mac and cheese and even a vegan burger, and we will definitely return to try some of the other items on the menu.

I paid around £20 for our pancakes with a latte, sparkling water and juice for Bridget and will be sure to return. I would love to try the thick shakes or a coke float, for a trip down memory lane next time.

The Diner is a cosy, welcoming American diner in the heart of Spitalfields and when the weather is cold and damp, I doubt you'll find a more welcoming port in the storm.

Kid Crepes

Crepes, or rather pancakes, are an absolute staple food in our house when it comes to the kids. I make a vast variety of types and fillings, mostly sweet, and mostly for breakfast or weekend brunching; but these savoury ones are a great favourite for a fast lunch or dinner.

You could use any number of fillings, but for my two the clear winning choice is ham, Cheddar cheese and sweetcorn, very beige basic, and very appealing to the under fives.

This is another simple recipe that is more assembly than anything else, so do recruit your little ones to help you - cooking with children is such an important activity, that can be messy but is mostly fun and will equip your kids with life skills.

I always serve with some vegetables or salad fingers, such as peppers, cucumber, radish etc. to make it feel slightly less 'lazy Mum', but the fact is these are super simple and quick to make, cheap, you're likely to always have the ingredients for them and they're universally popular.

The below makes a batter for about six pancakes, and 1 per child is more than sufficient, but the batter keeps well overnight in the fridge (win, win).

Kids Crepes

Here's how:

• Drizzle vegetable or rapeseed oikd
• 125g plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 300ml milk (full fat is always best for pancakes)
• Pinch salt
• 2 slices ham
• 2 tbsp Cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp sweetcorn kernels

Make the batter by mixing the flour, milk and the eggs with a fork or whisk.

Add the oil to a frying pan on a low to medium heat and in the meantime chop the ham and grate the cheese.

Now use a ladle to pour in the amount needed for x1 pancake into the pan. Allow it cook for 30-seconds to one minute until it has gone from a liquid batter to s solidified pancake, now use a fish slice to slowly ease it off the pan, all the way round the edge, then flip it over to do the other side.

On one half of the pancake, scatter over the ham, cheese and sweetcorn and after about 1 minute, flip the empty half of the pancake, over the filled side and cook for another 30 seconds, press down with the fish slice. Now flip again, and cook for 30 seconds to a minute more to allow the cheese to melt a little.

Kids Crepes

Remove from the pan, and repeat the process.

Slice into fingers and serve with your selection of veggies. Enjoy!

Here are a mixture of other sweet and savoury pancakes that might appeal:
Classic British Pancakes
Berry and Yoghurt Pancakes
Salmon and Dill Potato Pancakes
Banana and Oat Pancakes
Courgette and Corn Pancakes

Weaning Mashed Banana and Oat All-In-One Pancakes

These are a super quick pancake, filled with slow release energy from porridge oats and banana. Perfect for a baby led weaning breakfast, brunch or even lunch - they are super easy to hold and go down a treat with both my 7-month old and my (nearly) 3 year old. Finger foods never seem to go out of fashion the older my daughter Bridget gets. 

I adopt the 'all-in-one' method to most of the ingredients using a 'half a cup' measuring utensil so you get a perfectly close texture each time. They are a 'heavy' and filling pancake so don't dissolve in baby's hand either.

One banana mashed into the batter works well but you could just as easily use blueberries or strawberries. 

The below makes enough for two little ones plus a parent-sized portion, or you can wrap up and pop in the fridge for the following morning.

Weaning Mashed Banana and Oat All-in-One Pancakes

Here's how:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup full fat milk
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup porridge oats
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 banana 
• Little drizzle vegetable oil

Add a little drizzle of vegetable oil into a pan and place on a low heat. 

Into a mixing bowl, crack two large eggs, and add the 1/2 cup full of flour, oats and milk. Stir well with a fork until you gave a thick batter. 

Now drop in the banana and mash into the batter with the vanilla and stir well. 

Use a tablespoon to drop in several spoonfuls of the batter into the now hot-pan, ensuring they are spaced out enough not to combine in the pan. 

Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip, they should be golden brown, and cook for the same time on the other side. 

Serve with some fruit fingers. Enjoy!

Here are a few other pancake and other breakfast-bite recipes/ideas that are great for the weaning stage:

• Berry Yoghurt Pancakes
• Salmon and Dill Potato Pancakes
• Eggy Bread
• Banana and Oat Breakfast Muffins
• St Dalfour Porridge Fingers
• Courgette and Corn Pancakes
• Yoghurt and Banana

Pancake Day: Classic British Pancakes

There are so many variations of pancakes out there and I am fond of most, sweet, savoury, filled, thick and fluffy, flat and light, crepes...I could go on but suffice to say pancakes are a big winner at our house.

Pancake day though, to me signals a homeliness I associate with childhood - rushing home from school to eat a whole stack of pancakes lovingly prepared by my Mum and the joyful tradition of seeing how well she could flip them in the air. So for today's festivities, for me it always has to be the flat British type, topped with lemon juice and a sprinkling of sugar with the additional sweetness of a 1 large tablespoon of 0% fat natural yoghurt and some mixed berries. These are great for all the family too - including weaning ones who love them as a finger food.

This variation yields perfect pancakes every time, the perfect balance between sweet and savoury too. I do insist on a good fat ratio and prefer rapeseed or light olive oil although butter works well for a richer flavour - my Mum used to use lard back in the day!

This makes about 8 thin, delicious pancakes if made in a usual pan. Try to leave the batter once mixed for at least 30 minutes as it will result in better pancakes. In fact the batter lasts overnight so make the night before if you can.

Classic British Pancakes

Here's how:

• 125g plain flour
• 300ml milk (full fat works best here) 
• Pinch salt
• 1 egg and 1 egg yolk
• 1 drop good quality vanilla essence
• Rapeseed oil, light olive oil or butter
• 1 lemon (a Jif Lemon will suffice if fresh is not available) 
• Sprinkling of granulated sugar
• 0% fat natural yoghurt (I use Yeo Valley) 
• Handful mixed berries per person
• Zest from 1 lemon

Pop the flour into a mixing jug and pour over a third of the milk, then whisk it through as best you can, slowly adding the rest of the milk till it resembles a batter.

Now add the egg and yolk, the salt and vanilla and give a good whisk till it's light and airy. Now place some clingfilm over the top, not too tightly, and place into the fridge if leaving overnight or leave on the kitchen side if using shortly.

Once ready to make the pancakes, place the oven on at 150g and pop a plate in there in preparation to keep the made pancakes warm.

Now add a little rapeseed oil (or your preferred choice of oil/fat) to a non-stick pan and place on a medium heat. Once hot, turn the pan down a bit and use a ladle to pour in enough batter for the first pancake.

Cook for a couple of minutes or until the liquid batter has formed a squidgy solid, then use an egg slice to gently slide under all the edges, till it's easy to move then flip over and cook the other side for the same amount of time.

Once cooked place on the hot plate and cover with foil and pop back into the oven, and repeat the process till all the pancakes are cooked.

Now serve with lemon squeezed over then sprinkle with sugar. Top with the yoghurt and berries and for a final, flavoursome flourish add a grating of some of the lemon zest which will also help to make a very pretty plate too. Enjoy!

Here are a few alternative pancake recipes if you prefer something less traditional:

1. Yoghurt Berry Pancakes
2. Courgette & Corn Pancakes
3. Salmon & Dill Pancakes

And here are my favourite London spots for pancakes if you won't be flipping any this year:

1. Tom's Kitchen
2. The Modern Pantry
3. My Old Dutch 

Baby Bites Berry Yoghurt Pancakes

My little Bridget absolutely loves pancakes in all forms and these fluffy blueberry ones are a particular favourite in our house.

American pancakes tend to call on buttermilk to get that trademark thick, fluffy texture compared to the more crepe-like pancakes that we associate with Shrove Tuesday. I tried these with some natural yoghurt once instead of buttermilk and they work beautifully so this recipe has stuck.

It's a perfect weaning breakfast or brunch and makes a great treat of a finger food but it's not limited to being a baby food - these are gorgeous for the whole family and this recipe makes enough for baby plus 2-3 bigger appetites. 

We love this for a late and lazy Saturday or Sunday morning breakfast and add the icing sugar as this is a real treat meal – but if you’re keen to keep the sugar level down and keep to just the natural sugar of the berries you can of course omit this and the sugar for the pancake mix too.

Here's how:

• 240g plain flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 120g plain natural yoghurt
• 75-100ml milk (try to use full fat for best results but semi skimmed will also be OK)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 70g blueberries
• 70g raspberries

First wash the berries and then gently dry them with a clean tea towel or kitchen towel – try not to squish them.

In a large jug or bowl combine the flour, sugar and baking powder.

Next crack in the egg, vanilla extract and yoghurt and give a really good stir until it's all combined.

Add in about 75ml of milk and keep stirring. The mixture should be like a cake mix so you should be able to do the spoon test and see how it drops back into the bowl. If it seems too thick, add a little more milk a little at a time until you're happy with the consistency.

Now add in your blueberries and raspberries and mix so they are evenly distributed.

Now add a little vegetable oil to a non-stick pan and place on a low-medium heat. Once the pan is nicely warm, half fill a ladle with the mixture and gently pour into the pan, trying to keep to a nice small rounded shape.

Cook for a couple of minutes and use a spatula, spook or egg slice to turn over, the cooked side should be nicely golden brown.

Cook on the other side for a further couple of minutes or until that has turned a golden colour. Make sure it's cooked through.

Now place onto a plate to cool enough for baby and cook the rest in the meantime. Serve with some extra fresh berries and dust with a little sprinkling of icing sugar which is the final decadent touch.

Baby Bites Courgette and Corn Pancakes

These are a great breakfast idea for your weaning child and make a nice change from sweet pancakes. They can be whipped up in five minutes and are very popular in our house - I like them too.

I often have spiralised courgette at the minute which works really well in these along with sweetcorn, but if not you can grate some courgette instead.

The below makes enough for a couple of days and the batter keeps fine in the fridge.

Here's how:

• 50g plain flour
• 1 egg
• 150ml semi skimmed milk
• 50g courgette
• 2 tbsp sweetcorn
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp oil

Firstly drizzle in the oil into a non-stick pan and place on the lowest heat to slowly warm the pan.

Sift the flour into a jug or bowl and crack in the egg, mixing with a metal fork. Slowly add the milk, a little at a time, mixing all the time, until you have a smooth batter.

Add the pepper and sweetcorn and grate in the courgette and thoroughly mix so the vegetables are evenly distributed.

Use a ladle to scoop out some batter and place into the pan. After a minute, use a spatula or egg slice to turn over, it should be starting to turn golden brown. Leave to cook on the other side and once golden on both sides remove from the heat. 

If you are keen to cut into shapes you can use cookie cutters or a knife to cut out your shapes and make a fun plate of baby food.

Baby Bites Salmon and Dill Potato Pancakes

These are lovely, soft and fluffy potato based pancakes that go great with a squeeze of lemon and some natural yoghurt. Perfect as a weekend lunch for baby but with the addition of a big pinch of salt, these work as a great brunch dish for the grown-ups too.
Once cooked, allow to cool, and cut into smaller, bite-sized pieces and they make a great finger food for little one. The below makes approximately 5-6 pancakes.

Salmon and Dill Potato Pancakes with Lemon Yoghurt

1 large potato
1 fillet of salmon
1 egg
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 heaped tbsp fresh chopped dill
1 tbsp chopped spring onions
1 tbsp Greek natural yoghurt
1/2 lemon

Pop the oven on at 180⁰C (ish), prick the potato all over and place into the oven to bake for 30-40 minutes or until the inside is soft and fluffy.

For the last ten minutes of cooking, wrap the salmon fillet in some tinfoil, pop into an oven proof dish and cook in the oven.

Chop the dill and spring onions whilst everything else is cooking.

Once the potato and salmon are removed from the oven and have cooled slightly, scoop out the soft potato filling into a bowl and gently mash with a fork, allowing some texture to remain.

Flake in the salmon and mix in with the spring onion and dill until nicely combined.

Beat an egg in a separate bowl and add to potato and salmon mixture stirring with a wooden spoon.

Add a little bit of the flour at a time, mixing in, until the mixture resembles a dough.

Drizzle a little oil into a frying pan and place on a medium heat.

Using a large tablespoon, scoop out equal amounts to make each pancake, and place into a hot pan in a round shape.

Fry on each side for about 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside and completely warmed through.

Remove from the pan and remove excess grease/oil by patting with some kitchen towel.

Squeeze a little drizzle of lemon juice over each pancake.

Squeeze the remaining lemon juice into the yoghurt and serve alongside the pancakes.

Allow to cool slightly, break into pieces your baby can handle, dip into the yoghurt then pass to baby to feed him or herself and let the fun begin.