Liverpool hosts its annual pancake race this week, marked as Pancake Day with top chefs vying for the win.
The city hosts a unique tradition each year: Liverpool’s annual pancake race. Top chefs compete to be the best flipper. The race is this week, marking Pancake Day.
The race happens in the gardens of Liverpool Parish Church. Cooks must flip pancakes while running laps. The event tests their cooking skills in a fun way.
The rules specify pancake criteria. Pancakes must be thick enough to withstand the outdoors, while also being light enough to flip while running. Pancakes cannot fall from the pan, and chefs can’t interfere with others.
Pancake Day uses up fats before Lent. Christians often give something up for Easter. This custom prepares them for the upcoming holiday.
The race started in the 1980s. Liverpool revived it in the mid-2000s, though pancake races are thought to be older. A housewife in 1445 inspired it; she forgot the time while making pancakes, and thus, the church bells rang too.
In 1982, a headline referenced “batter”. Donald Gray won that year. He beat two other church leaders.
Titanic Hotel, Stanley’s Bar, Ma Boyles, Nova Scotia, and Tempest are participating. Hotel Indigo, Pullman Hotel, Crowne Plaza, Bunch Wine Bar, and Maldron will also compete. The Pen Factory, Lunya, and LunyaLita join too.
Lunya’s Alex Hopkins competes again, seeking his fourth win, having won three races last year. The winner gets bragging rights and an engraved pan, awarded by the Rector of Liverpool. The race is March 4 at 11 am at St Nicholas Churchyard.