Pancake Day: The Original Zero Waste Concept?
With Shrove Tuesday just around the corner, our sustainability consultant, Nash Gierak, shares some insights into this traditional feast day and its zero waste origins.
Where it all began…
If you were tasked with using up all the rich foods in your larder—eggs, milk, butter—pancakes would probably be at the top of your list. Such is the thinking behind the tradition of Shrove Tuesday. This is the day that precedes the Christian fasting period of Lent. It then culminates in the moveable feast of Easter. The dietary category of the ingredients is referenced quite literally in the French; Mardi Gras. This translates as “Fat Tuesday”, which is deliberately distinct from the customary simple Lenten suppers that follow.
Savouring the zero waste spirit!
Here at Social Pantry, we are fascinated with ceremony, celebration, traditions, and reflections around food. We are also are passionate about minimising food waste. We’re less interested in using up staple ingredients in order to remove the “temptation” of having access to such ingredients during this traditional period of abstinence. Instead, we see something of the zero waste spirit in the origins of Pancake Day as a way to use up ingredients on hand that might spoil. (Although we fully appreciate the modern day irony that many of us still need to pop out to pick up the ingredients on Shrove Tuesday!)
Going one step further…
Whether you like to stick to the classic crepe pancakes with lemon and sugar, or like to experiment, here are some of our favourites – including even more ways to fight food waste with the use of aquafaba (the gloopy water drained off from tinned chickpeas), what would be sourdough discard, and common household kitchen leftovers!
Pancake recipes we love…
Classic Crêpes

Vegan Aquafaba Pancakes

Sourdough Discard Pancakes

Social Pantry’s Sweet Potato Pancakes

Leftover Porridge Pancakes

Banana Pancakes

Leftover Veggie Pancakes

