As Pancake Day approaches, many of us will have already started thinking about what we'll be pouring, spreading or piling on on our delicious treats this year.
Whether you’re flipping them yourself, or opting for the less messy pre-made option, it’s what’s on the inside that counts right?
Online cake shop Jack & Beyond have been looking at the most popular pancake toppings, from chocolate spread to lemon and sugar.
And - apparently - Percy Pigs, from M&S are the fifth most popular pancake topper, with 2,400 searches made each month.
So it probably stands to reason, you can also get Percy Pig flavoured pancakes!
Inspired by the research, I decided to try five different sweet pancake toppings recommend for the very best for Shrove Tuesday.
Nutella was the fan-favourite, with just under 4,000 Google searches a month.
But some of you will remember I reviewed a hazelnut chocolate spread by Bonne Maman that I thought was even better, so I spread this onto my pancake with the back of a spoon.
It spread well without tearing, but I felt it needed a bit of crunch.
Inspired by the Tesco exclusive Easter egg creations, I broke up some Cadbury Fingers and sprinkled them across the top.
The flavours were really nice and the texture combination was great, but I like to have more than one pancake on pancake day, and already felt a bit sick after half.
This topping is definitely delicious, but a little heavy on the stomach.
Feeling a little health conscious, I topped my next pancake with strawberries and squirty cream. Light, fruity and refreshing, this topping is one I could enjoy over and over again.
I bought my strawberries from Aldi and couldn’t believe how big they were - I only needed one for this pancake!
I feel like strawberries also work quite well with chocolate spread, too - so you can buy a punnet and then mix and match with different toppings.
Syrup was the fourth most popular pancake topping, so I rooted through my cupboards and found some Canadian Maple Syrup.
This topping is one that perfectly bridges the gap between sweet and savoury, because it goes really well with yoghurt and fruit, but is just as amazing with bacon and eggs.
While very tasty, this one requires a knife and fork or a lot of kitchen roll, because it’s so sticky!
After trying the PROPER caramelised biscuits popcorn, I’ve become obsessed with anything that tastes like Lotus biscuits.
To one of my pancakes, I added caramelised biscuit spread before sprinkling on broken Lotus Biscoff biscuits.
This offered the same satisfying crunch as the hazelnut spread and chocolate fingers, but with a slightly less sickly taste.
That said, I do fear I’d get fed up of Biscoff flavoured things eventually.
Of course, it’s the flavour you’ve all been waiting for: lemon and sugar.
Fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of granulated sugar is the ultimate pancake topper, and I truly could eat an entire pack of crepes with this filling. It’s just so fresh and sweet, and in my opinion, it just can’t be beaten.
It's also really inexpensive and usually both are already in the house, so there's no last minute rush to the shop..
While you might want to have fun and get creative with your desserts this Pancake Day, I’ll be sticking my fork into the timeless classic lemon and sugar.
