Tom Aikens’ Fen Farm Buttermilk & Blueberry Pancakes

Tom Aikens is one of the UK’s most acclaimed and inspirational British chefs. Growing up in Norfolk, with a father working in the wine industry and a childhood spent gardening and cooking with his mother, Tom learnt how to make use of the freshest ingredients, putting food at the centre of his life from a very early age.

With a long and varied career under his belt Tom has gained many accolades and has most recently seen his restaurant Muse – located  in Belgravia, London gain one Michelin star. We are very excited to see Tom showcasing his skills at the Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival this year! He will be using some fabulous local ingredients, including our Fen Farm staples in his creations and has made us privvy to the recipe for his amazing Blueberry and Fen Farm Dairy Buttermilk Pancakes.

Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival is an event we look forward to being a part of every year! The festival is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting and promoting the local community and businesses within it. We see people gather from far and wide to sample some of the amazing produce we see made here in Suffolk. As sponsors of the event, it is an a joy to see some incredible chefs demonstrate their culinary skills and incorporate a lot of local products into some amazing dishes.

PANCAKE MIX

360g of self-raising flour

80g of sugar

12g baking powder

30g baking soda

24g salt

360g Fen Farm buttermilk

180g milk

3 eggs

70g melted Bungay butter

6g vanilla essence

2g almond essence

8-10 fresh blueberries to fold in to each order

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, buttermilk, vanilla and almond essence together. Mix into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add the melted butter, whisking all the time until mixed thoroughly. Add the blueberries, carefully folding them in.

Place a small non-stick pan on a low heat, spray with One Spray and add 250ml of the mix into the pan, cooking on the stove for a couple of minutes, before placing into the oven for 8-10 minutes. When they are ready, turn them out, dust in icing sugar and place onto the plate, berry side up.

BLUEBERRY COMPOTE

MAKES 500G 4-5 PORTIONS

500g defrosted and drained blueberries

80g coconut or brown sugar

1 fresh vanilla pods, split and scraped

20ml lemon juice

Peel of 1 lemon

1 stick cinnamon

30ml vanilla essence

10g cornflour mixed with a little water to thicken

Place the berries into a pan with the cinnamon stick, caster sugar, vanilla pod, water, lemon juice and cover with a lid, cooking on a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the berries become slightly soft and the juices start to seep out. Add the corn flour and cook out for a minute, then remove from the heat to cool.

CINNAMON CREAM

250ml double cream

25g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 large pinch ground cinnamon

Small pinch of salt

Whisk together till nice and thick.

Fancy trying it for yourself? Shop for our buttermilk here