These are delicious. You most likely will have all of the ingredients in your cupboard – if you don’t you will need to ask some big questions of yourself. They require only a handheld whisk – a wooden spoon even – and a frying pan.

I never thought much of American pancakes. They were either flabby of synthetic tasting whenever I ordered them but these beasties can be accused of no such things. They are just crisp on the outside with a pillowy interior. I tend to submerge mine in maple syrup and an old rasher but if you fancied something less blood congealing then try a bit of greek yoghurt and fresh berries.

We got back from holiday to a hail of seeming chaos. All low level but very present. I fear my lack of patience and short temper may be the undoing of me.

But on a very wonderful note. Several months back my husband and I were driving through the village late at night after a party when I spotted a few poor folk trying to push start their car in the drizzle. I pulled over to offer them a jump start. For the record I believe it a deadly idea to carry jump leads. It gives me an enormous sense of civil helpfulness when I can help someone get their car going. It has only happened three times but that’s not the point.

Anyway, back to the story.

I pulled over bonnet to bonnet, I found the leads and husband hooked them up. Moments later a happy vehicle contentedly put-putted away. The driver thanked us both and said I should call into the local pizzeria, where he works, for a free pizza. Very nice indeed. I had no intention of taking advantage of the gesture but It just so happens I get their pizzas anyway.

So nothing happens for months and then tonight, having been caught in a drizzly night myself rushing in to order a pizza on my way home a man comes towards me from the back of the kitchen. You jump started my car? I did yeah. You shouldn’t have paid for your pizza. Don’t worry about it. When he hands me my pizza a few minutes later there’s a bag with it. Your dessert’s on me.

How nice is that? Very. But it wasn’t even that gesture. It was the fact he had remembered me at all. Having had children I have oftentimes felt faceless. Having lived in the city centre pushing a pram as everyone stormed passed me in their power suits threw me. As an unattached woman in my 20s I felt like people were aware of me. Not in an up my own arse way but the pram is akin to an invisibility cloak and it sometimes got me down.

My instability aside you should make these pancakes and be nice to people.

This quantity makes about 6 medium sized pancakes and the original recipe is here.

Plain flour                 135g

Baking powder         1 teaspoon

Salt                              1/2 teaspoon

Caster sugar               2 tablespoons

Egg                               1

Whole milk                130ml

Melted butter            2 tablespoons

Measure the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a mixing bowl and stir.

Crack in the egg and pour in the milk.

Starting from the centre whisk the milk and egg and slowly begin to incorporate the dry ingredients from around the sides. Doing it this way should avoid lumps.

Pour in the butter and whisk some more.

The batter should be as thick as Greek yoghurt or thereabouts.

Heat a frying pan on a medium heat and add a glug of vegetable oil, enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pan.

Dollop in 7cm rounds of the mixture. I had a big frying pan and should have only fried 4. If you overcrowd the pan it’ll be a pain to flip them.

When you start to see little bubbles forming on the surface of your pancakes they’re ready to flip.

Do so. Flip them.

Cook for another 2-3mins till perfectly golden brown on their underside.

The photos are a bit crap again and the pan a bit messy this week but I was hungry.