We tried pre-made supermarket mixes for Pancake Day – the best was only £1

HOW will you spin yours this Mardi Gras?

Whether you prefer a spatula or are a fan of the flip, we all have our technique when it comes to making pancakes.

10

10

Pre-made mixes, available at supermarkets, make it easier to make the dough from scratch — and are often cheaper than buying the ingredients piece by piece.

From classic powders to shakers and fryers, Laura Stott has jumbled the options on the shelves, giving each one out of five to help you cheat your way to the perfect crepe.

dr Oetker Classic Mix, 200g, £1.30

(makes about 8)

10

THIS classic blend from asda.com couldn’t have been easier to make.

Simply add 400ml of milk to the powder, beat until smooth in a bowl and you are good to go.

These sizzled nicely and resulted in tasty, consistent pancakes.

The mixture was very smooth, which made it easy to swirl around in the pan to keep the thickness consistent throughout – and they swirled easily for nice, even results.

This was the most expensive mix I’ve tried, but the resulting pancakes were very good.

Pretty sweet but nice with a squeeze of lemon.

Evaluation: 3/5

Morrisons American Style Mix, 200g, £1

(makes about 12)

10

IF you like your pancakes with a sweeter, fluffy texture and American breakfast style flavor, then this is a great choice for the batter.

Despite being a pre-made mix, these still required quite a bit of kitchen input from me, so it’s not the pack to buy if you’re looking for a lazy option.

After adding two eggs and water to the mixture, beat them well, scoop and fry as usual and you have a good stack of diner-style snacks.

Not the traditional British pancake taste, but this sweeter crepe batter pairs well with fruit, honey, or even ice cream.

Excellent value for money.

Evaluation: 5/5

Mcennedy Mix 200g, 99p

(Makes 12-14)

10

A WHOPPER sized Lidl shaker for under £1, so great value if you have a lot of mouths to feed.

Keep in mind, however, that this mixture is meant to be made with milk and not water, which means there’s a bit more expense involved for that extra ingredient.

A bit fiddly to make, but great fun if you’re cooking with kids.

You add 400ml of milk – not particularly easy to pour into the container so I’d suggest a measuring cup – shake well and let sit for a few minutes before frying.

Quite thick pancakes, but they tasted ok with chocolate spread.

Evaluation: 3/5

M&S Mix Shaker, 155g, £1

(Power 6)

10

LOVELY packaging from M&S whose slim shaker was much easier for people with smaller hands – like me – to make really good after adding the water.

And the lid was user friendly too.

This mixture was smooth after shaking, allowing the pancakes to be the right thickness and easy to cook evenly, rather than being too thick or thin.

Golden once cooked and easy to toss, this was my favorite of all the shaker style mixes as it was the easiest to pour gently, although the taste was still not outstanding and the Lidl premix was better value -Ratio offers.

Evaluation: 3/5

Tesco Mix Shaker 155g, £1

(Power 6)

10

THIS mix and fry pancake shaker comes in a plastic container which made pouring the required 290ml of water much easier than some of the cardboard boxes I’ve tried.

I had to shake for a little longer than the two minutes listed in the instructions to ensure all of the powder was absorbed into the water.

Edible, easy to make, but it was hard to control how much liquid spilled into the pan.

Once fried and flipped, they looked golden and tasted okay, but you wouldn’t mistake them for homemade batter.

Evaluation: 2/5

Aldi Classic Mix 232g, £1.19

(makes about 10)

10

THIS pantry premix is ​​a pancake in a box perfect for tossing in your basket as a Mardi Gras stand-by.

Preparing the dough was very easy. I simply added 500ml of cold water to the contents and whisked everything together.

My first few pancakes were a little thick but once I got the right amount these turned out good and it’s easier to control the amount if you can scoop them rather than pour them.

They’re not too sugary, so they’re great with savory fillings like cheese when you want a change from chocolate spread or jam.

Evaluation: 4/5

Asda Mix Shaker 155g, £1

(Power 6)

10

THIS shaker seemed to have a similar design to all the other plastic batter bottles, but I struggled to get the lid off, which caused mixing and pouring problems later.

Despite carefully following the directions and using the correct water ratio, this liquid seemed to have an odd consistency.

Once fried, they were rubbery and doughy.

The flavor was more Yorkshire pudding batter than pancakes, and the slow-to-cook mixture stayed white and pale, which wasn’t appetizing no matter how much maple syrup I then drizzled on.

Evaluation: 1/5

Sainsbury’s Mix Shaker, 155g, £1

(Power 6)

10

PANCAKE shakers are the ultimate Mardi Gras hack.

You simply add water to the batter mix, give a good old fashioned shake – the clue is in the name – and you’re good to go.

In theory, dishing up a stack of pancakes should be easy, but that wasn’t the case here.

The orange juice style carton was very difficult to put water in.

I liked that the packet clearly marked the amounts of water for different servings of pancakes, but it was still fiddly to make.

The resulting pancakes were sticky and stuck to the pan.

Evaluation: 1/5