Fun pancake race has real meaning

TASTY: Year 11 students Grace White (left) and Magda Mele tuck into their pancake after the race.

ST Matthew's Collegiate students turned a time-honoured Anglican tradition into a sprint for the finish line - complete with some tasty breakfast treats.

Enthusiastic pupils from Years 7 to 11 took part in the the school's annual Pancake Race yesterday, marking Shrove Tuesday and the beginning of the Easter season.

Girls competed according to form class in teams of four, by cooking, flipping, walking and running with a pancake - with points given for the fastest team to finish and tastiest crepe.

School chaplain Reverend Lesley Mouat said the race was a "long-standing tradition" on the St Matthew's calendar.

"I've been here 10 years, and I inherited it from the previous chaplain," she said.

"The girls love it. Every year, they jump to it straight away."

Ms Mouat said the race is a nod to the tradition of Shrove Tuesday, where Christian used up all the "rich ingredients" in their pantry to prepare for Lent and to abstain from fattening food.

These days, the church celebrates the day with activities based around pancakes.

"It's taking the tradition of using up your ingredients and having a bit of fun with it," Ms Mouat said.

"We're an Anglican school, and this helps us link up with the church in a fun, lively way.

"We're joining up with everyone around the world eating pancakes."

For the Pancake Race, one team member starts by cooking the pancake - from pre-prepared mix - in the school's Food Technology room.

The frypan and pancake is passed to a "walker", who carries it to the end of the Tech Block, before handing it to two "runners", who complete the race in a "relay" style.

All participants must flip the pancake at least once.

At the end of the race, the girls' pancakes were judged by deputy principal Sandy Shirwan.

Ms Mouat said the students embraced the team building and competitive spirit, with the senior girls wearing their ties as Kamikaze headbands.

But not every team produced an edible pancake.

"Some did, some didn't - the Year 7's pancake looked absolutely brilliant."

Of the junior girls, Year 7DDA were judged the fastest and producers of the best pancake.

Out of the senior students, Year 9SCH were the quickest off the block, with Year 11MBA producing the most delicious pancake.