225+
5 reviews
MikeMike
16:04 13 Mar 23
Highly recommended! Josh and Sarah have been fantastic at Astute. They've found and placed me in 2 jobs now between them, both really responsive and excellent at keeping you up to speed with things. Very knowledgable about the roles and happy to talk to companies with any queries you have.
C R.C R.
10:45 27 Jan 23
Great agency one of the best ones I've worked with! Liz has been a great help and support in helping me towards a new direction in my career life. She is very attentive and keeps me in the loop at all times! She makes the extra effort to work with my preferred requirements for work and even if it isn't completely attainable she meets me in the middle and does as much as she can to help! Also Liz is very funny might I add 😂 and I'm happy that I can now put a face to the name after all these years! Thank you again Liz for all your help and support! 😊
ChristineChristine
10:32 20 Dec 22
Josh and the Astute team was very swift to help me to find roles that matched my profile. They are really reliable and will help through every step of the recruitment process going out of their way to assist and follow up when needed. Could not find a better recruitment agency!
Helen PinegarHelen Pinegar
16:19 18 Dec 22
Fantastic recruitment agency.. Josh was extremely enthusiastic, encouraging and clearly knowledgeable about what was needed from both the employee and the employers point of view. Extremely supportive especially in regards to interview preparation and endeavoured to procure feedback promptly. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Astute in the future to both candidates and recruiting businesses particularly for the right fit for the role!!!
Lisa LeighLisa Leigh
11:56 30 Nov 22
I have worked as a candidate for Astute and they have been excellent. Super friendly service and professional agents keen to fit the right person to the right job. It has been a pleasure dealing with them and I would happily work for them again in the future. Highly recommend this agency.
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Astute Recruitment's top 5 shouts for the perfect pancakes on Shrove Tuesday!

Pancake day always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday and this year it’s on February 14th. As our team is busy walking, jogging, and cycling from John O’Groats to Lands End for our #miles4meals charity quest – they need all the energy they can muster, so here are 5 great recipes that they and you can enjoy!

 

That’s one thing #wfh means! All of us can have great pancakes from the comfort of our kitchens!

PANCAKES FIVE WAYS: THE BEST PANCAKE RECIPES

PANCAKE RECIPES

We’ve narrowed a very long list down to our top five pancake recipes for you to try this year.

AMERICAN STYLE PANCAKES

Known as the traditional pancake that suits everybody’s tastes, these American style pancakes will have you flipping these sweet treats all year round for every occasion!

To enjoy these – see our menu below!

INGREDIENTS

  • 350g of plain flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 230ml milk
  • 50g unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

METHOD

  • Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and a pinch of salt into a large bowl
  • Whisk the eggs, milk, butter and vanilla in a large jug
  • Make a hole in the centre of the dry ingredients and whisk in the wet mixture to make a smooth batter
  • Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat
  • Pour the mixture onto the pan in small pancake sizes – usually three pancakes to a pan
  • Cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbles break on the surface
  • Flip!
  • Cook for a further minute
  • Stack and serve


Wondering what toppings to include? How about trying the following:

SWEET

  • Coconut yoghurt and granola
  • Mascarpone, raspberries and passion fruit
  • Cream cheese and strawberry compote

SAVOURY

  • Ricotta, baby rocket, roast cherry tomatoes and balsamic glaze
  • Garlic mushrooms, fetta and chives
  • Fried egg and chilli sauce

BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

If you’re looking for a thick, blueberry bursting pancake stack, look no further. These light, fluffy and fruity pancakes are a classic. We recommend serving them stacked up high with a big dollop of syrup and extra fruit – yum! Recipe below:

INGREDIENTS

  • 200g self-raising flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • 300ml milk
  • knob butter
  • 150g pack blueberry
  • golden or maple syrup

METHOD

  • Mix together the self-raising flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl
  • Beat one egg with the milk, make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and whisk in the milk to make a thick smooth batter
  • Beat in a knob of melted butter, and gently stir in half of the pack of blueberries
  • Heat a teaspoon of butter in a large non-stick frying pan
  • Drop a large tablespoonful of the batter per pancake to make three or four pancakes at a time
  • Cook for about 3 minutes over a medium heat until small bubbles appear on the surface of each pancake
  • Flip!
  • Cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden
  • Serve with golden or maple syrup and the rest of the blueberries

BANANA PANCAKES

You’ve heard of using up your ripe bananas to make banana bread but don’t forget they are perfect for pancakes, too! Possibly the easiest pancakes to make, you’ll be ‘flipping’ crazy to ignore these fluffy, delicately flavoured cakes. Also taste amazing with whipped cream!

INGREDIENTS

  • 135g of self-raising flour
  • 35g of caster sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • 130ml of milk
  • 35g of butter, melted
  • 2 bananas, roughly mashed
  • 1 pinch of salt

METHOD

  • Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl
  • In a separate bowl mix the egg with the milk, melted butter and bananas
  • Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. A few lumps here are ok, as if you overwork the mix your pancakes will be dense and heavy
  • Heat a frying pan over a medium heat with one tbsp of oil
  • Use a ladle to pour a little of the mix into the pan, you should be able to fit three at a time depending on the size of your pan
  • Cook until you see bubbles start to form in the pancakes and the undersides are a lovely golden brown
  • Flip!
  • Cook for a further minute
  • Serve straight away with freshly chopped bananas

VEGAN PANCAKES

Fluffy vegan pancakes? Yep – trust us. When you try these delicious dairy-free, egg-free and completely vegan pancakes, you won’t even miss the milk, butter or eggs! Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

  • 300g self-raising flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 400ml plant-based milk (such as oat, almond or soya)
  • 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for cooking
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

METHOD

  • Whisk the dry ingredients and a pinch of salt in a bowl until mixed
  • Slowly pour in the milk until you get a smooth, thick batter
  • Heat a little of the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat
  • Add 2 tbsp batter into the pan at a time to make small, round pancakes
  • Cook for 3-4 mins until bubbles are appearing on the surface
  • Flip!
  • Cook for another 2-3 mins until golden on both sides and cooked through

Wondering what vegan toppings to include? How about trying the following:

  • Banana slices
  • Blueberries
  • Maple syrup
  • Vegan chocolate chips
  • Plant-based yogurt

COCONUT PANCAKES – UNDER 500 CALORIES

A great recipe that is a bit of a wild card to recommend: the coconut pancakes with strawberries and lime syrup. A tasty start to the day, these pancakes are under also 500 calories making them a healthier option for Pancake Day if you are trying to watch your waist line. There you go – our very own guilt-free pancakes!

INGREDIENTS

  • 175g self-raising flour
  • 50g dessicated coconut
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 2 tablespoon of icing sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 300ml coconut milk
  • 400g strawberries, halved or quartered
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced
  • coconut oil
  • coconut yogurt

METHOD

  • Mix the flour, desiccated coconut, baking powder, 1 tbsp icing sugar, and a pinch of salt in a big bowl
  • Make a well in the centre and crack in the egg, then whisk a little
  • Pour in the coconut milk a little by little and whisk in too, until it’s been mixed into a smooth batter
  • Put the strawberries in a bowl with the lime zest
  • Add the lime juice followed by the last tbsp of icing sugar
  • Toss together until the sugar has dissolved and the strawberries are slightly syrupy
  • Heat a tsp of the coconut oil in a non-stick frying pan
  • Ladle in small spoonfuls of the batter to cook three pancakes at a time
  • Flip!
  • Keep adding more oil and more batter, until all the batter is used up
  • Stack the pancakes between plates and spoon over the syrupy strawberries, then pile on some coconut yogurt to serve

Happy Pancake day from all of at Astute Recruitment Ltd!

Have lots of fun and do share any photos and your own recipes!