Pancake Day is a time for lemon, sugar and lots and lots of Nutella.

That and tossing your pancake in a perfect flip without completely mashing it up – and pancake races.

Shrove Tuesday is only a few weeks away now but how much about Pancake Day do you actually know?

Like, why is it called ‘Shrove Tuesday’? and why does the date always change each year?

Well, help is at hand because here is everything you need to know.

When is Shrove Tuesday (aka Pancake Day)?

This Is Local London:

Shrove Tuesday is always the day before the first day of Lent, known as Ash Wednesday.

This year that date falls on Tuesday February 28, with Ash Wednesday being on Wednesday, March 1.

Why does the date change each year?

The date is always 47 days before Easter Sunday, meaning Shrove Tuesday is generally always between February 3 and March 9.

The day when Easter falls changes every year in accordance to the first moon after the vernal equinox.

How to make the perfect pancake:

This Is Local London:

BBC food has this foolproof recipe for pancake batter:

Ingredients

135g/4¾oz plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp caster sugar

130ml/4½fl oz milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp melted butter (allowed to cool slightly) or olive oil, plus extra for cooking

Method

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug, lightly whisk together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter.

Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and, using a fork, beat until you have a smooth batter. Any lumps will soon disappear with a little mixing. Let the batter stand for a few minutes.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. When it's melted, add a ladle of batter (or two if your frying pan is big enough to cook two pancakes at the same time). It will seem very thick but this is how it should be. Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, then turn it over and cook until both sides are golden brown and the pancake has risen to about 1cm (½in) thick.

Repeat until all the batter is used up. You can keep the pancakes warm in a low oven, but they taste best fresh out the pan.

Serve with lashings of real maple syrup and extra butter if you like.