We love holidays that give us a good excuse to eat lots of pancakes and International Pancake Day does just that. It takes place every year on Shrove Tuesday, aka Fat Tuesday. This holiday goes back several centuries when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Back in the day the strict rules prohibited people from eating dairy products during Lent. Therefore pancakes were made to use up all the eggs, milk and butter before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent.
On Pancake Day, pancake races are held in villages and towns across the United Kingdom. The tradition is said to have originated when a housewife from Olney was so busy making pancakes that she forgot the time until she heard the church bells ringing for the service. She raced out of the house for church while carrying her frying pan and pancake in hand. Since that day in 1445, the women of Olney have continued to race on Pancake Day.
When the town of Liberal, KS heard about the annual events in Olney, the women of Liberal challenged the women of Olney Buckinghamshire England . For the past 61 years, the women of the two towns have competed. They wear the traditional dress, apron and scarf, while carrying and flipping a pancake in a skillet along a 415-yard S-shaped course. To me the hardest part of the competition would be carrying the pan. My set of All Clad pans work great for cooking, but to carry it 415 yards while running seems impossible. The fastest runner is said to receive the "Kiss of Peace" from the Verger or Bell Ringer in the Church. To date the women of Liberal are ahead 34 victories to Olney's 25.
As much fun as that competition sounds, we have something a little more subdued. In honor of International Pancake Day we would like to offer the first 5 people who comment on this blog post a free 16oz Farmhouse Pancake and Waffle Mix. 
