Berry good way to eat pancakes

Martin Hollis is executive chef at the Old Course Hotel, St Andrews. He offers a recipe for vegan banana pancakes, blueberries and maple syrup

Pancakes for breakfast are a delicious and satisfying way to start the day. Such a treat! What tastes better than a stack of fluffy thin pancakes topped with fruit and some sweet delights?

While the traditional way to make them tends to be whipping up some eggs, butter and milk; that is not the only way to make them. There are so many different ways to make vegan pancakes – using diary-free alternatives that taste just as good and, if not, better.

Here is a tasty recipe for some healthy, non-dairy pancakes topped with the luxuriously sweet maple syrup and some crisp blueberries to cut through the sweetness. Blueberries are a superfood in season between May and October.

Not only do they contain high levels of antioxidants but they are also packed with other nutrients that provide many health benefits. Blueberries are bursting with fibre, calcium, folate, magnesium, manganese, niacin, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, phosphorus, potassium and vitamins C,E&K.

All are good for our digestive health, immunity, healthy skin, eye health, strong bones, healthy blood flow and heart health.

For this you will need: 200g self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 300ml soya milk, 1 ripe banana, mashed, 15g Flora Freedom (or similar), melted, 150g pack blueberries, sunflower oil, maple syrup, to serve.

This should make four portions easily but you can add more of each if you require more pancakes.

First, mix together the flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and whisk in the milk to make a thick smooth batter.

Beat in the mashed banana and melted dairyfree Flora then gently stir in half the blueberries.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Drop a large tablespoonful of the batter per pancake into the pan to make pancakes about 7.5cm across. Make three or four pancakes at a time.

Cook for about three minutes over a medium heat until small bubbles appear on the surface of each pancake, then turn over and cook for a further two to three minutes until golden.

Transfer onto a plate and cover to keep warm as you repeat using the remaining batter. Serve warm with maple syrup and the rest of the blueberries.