Fresh Scotch Pancakes and Fife Raspberries

My Weekend Finds 18 July

A lovely sunny weekend, and one where I didn’t have to work. So, my favourite thing – a trip to a farm shop. After a gentle mosey around the shelves, I came away with a haul of plump, juicy berries and some rich Jersey cream.

No more excuse was needed for a batch of Scotch pancakes.

Sunday Brunch: Fife Berries and Pancakes

Being English, I tend to call the thick, spongy items I made “drop scones”, but round here they’re known as pancakes, and very popular they are, too. Adding cream and a light compote of fresh Fife raspberries is indulgent in the extreme. But I don’t really care!

Contrary to popular belief, not all of Scotland suffers from constant poor weather. In fact, Fife, Tayside, Angus and Perthshire have a long summer, often golden and glorious in May, and mellow and fruitful in September. These conditions are perfect for ripening summer berries, and fruit growing is a major occupation here. The Scottish fruit industry is worth around £117 million per annum

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Raspberries on a bush

I don’t understand why, but even the best supermarket berries don’t come anywhere close to those I buy from roadside stalls, farmers markets, or farm shops. The varieties are the same, as, sometimes, are the growers. What do they do to them?

I grew up close to the Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, where they grow famously wonderful strawberries. Those grown around my adopted home are equally good. 

The pancakes are very straightforward to make, and like the best Scottish recipes, call only for ingredients likely to be in your store cupboard.

Stir one egg and 300 mls of whole milk into 200 Grammes of self-raising flour. Add a tablespoon of caster sugar, and beat until smooth. Drop tablespoonfuls of the batter onto a hot griddle or flat-bottomed pan, and let cook until tiny bubbles appear on the surface. Flip them over at that point, and finish cooking on the other side until just set and golden coloured.

I made my raspberry compote by warming the fruits with a tiny amount of water (maybe a tablespoon for around 250 grammes of fruit) and a couple of tablespoons of caster sugar. I gave them just long enough to break down and go jam-like. I like to add a squirt of lime-juice to my compote, because I love an acidic tang, but you can adjust the sugar to your taste. The compote will keep in the fridge for up to three days.

Do you live in a fruit growing area? Or grow your own? Do you agree about supermarket berries being tasteless? If you make some pancakes or fruit compote, do get in touch to let me know how you get on!
This post was posted in response to this prompt.