Amazing Race
Local women gathered with their frying pans and pancakes to dash the 450 yards from the market square to the church door.
Earlier than last year, Shrove Tuesday is still celebrated across many Christian nations and marks the start of Lent. It is a seamless mix of the religious and culinary and is when we can officially celebrate mixing eggs, flour and milk to make a variety of our favourite pancakes.
Open to women who live or work in Olney
This event has been proudly embraced by this small market town in the middle of Buckinghamshire. They have kept it going (on and off), for over 550 years. That’s impressive, and judging by the number of participants, supporters and media, it’s still celebrated in a fun and welcoming way.
Local women gathered with their frying pans and pancakes to dash the well organised 450 yards from the market square to the church door.
On Shrove Tuesday, everyone was summoned to church to be shriven before the start of Lent the following day, Ash Wednesday.
Ask around and you’ll be told a variety of stories of how this tradition started. My favourite is that the Sexton was bribed with pancakes to ring the church bell sooner to signal an earlier start to the day’s holiday fun. Usually the parishioners attended the church service where they would be shriven of their sins, before the long Lenten feast.
American links
In 1773, former Olney curate and poet, John Newton wrote the popular hymn ‘Amazing Grace’. Did you know this work marks his remorse as a former slave trader? During a terrible storm at sea, he saw the error of his ways and returned to England and new life as a preacher.
The hymn was probably first heard without music and settled into relative obscurity in England. Not so in the United States, where they have made it their own. Since 1950, Olney has been twinned with the town of Liberal in Kansas, and today were enthusiastically represented and live-linked courtesy of their mayor, although his community must have still been asleep. The town’s compete annually with prizes exchanged. I believe Olney is in the lead, just!
Tonight’s meal will be lemon pancakes cooked from the comfort of my own kitchen. What is your favourite recipe?
Links you will need
The Buckinghamshire town of Olney has embraced this tradition and made it its own.
Try this circular walk within a stones throw of Olney to enjoy coffee and cake. The relaxed town has length of dog-friendly cafes and pubs for a pit stop.
The Cowper & Newton Museum, home of John Newton and William Cowper is open through the year. I still haven’t visited.