The reasons that February is not half as bad as January are several: you don't have to feel bad about drinking, it's noticeably lighter in the evenings, and next Tuesday means pancakes.

It's hard to beat lemon juice and granulated sugar on a pancake - a perfect combination of tart, sweet and crunchy. But a world of sophistication and silliness is out there to explore, not least because you can't make a party out of lemon and sugar.

To the pancakes first: beat together in order (or blend) 110g flour, a pinch of salt, 2 eggs, 275g milk and 50g melted butter, then allow to stand for half an hour. You won't need too much extra butter for frying. Use a non-stick 18cm or 20cm frying pan, and get it really hot before you start, then turn down to medium. The first pancake won't work. If you want to make them in batches, stack between layers of greaseproof paper and keep warm on a plate set over a saucepan of just-simmering water.

A variety of toppings laid out in dishes look irresistible. Simplest of all are sugar mixed with spices - cinnamon, vanilla or cardamom are all worth exploring.

At the high end, fruit and booze are the classic combination. For a cheat's version of Crêpes Suzette you'll need orange juice, sugar and Cointreau. Or you could spoon over bottled cherries in kirsch, finishing with cream to soften. A delicious seasonal option would be poached rhubarb with a dash of Pernod.

Chocolate lovers will want to melt their best dark chocolate and possibly thin it with a little cream. A splash of cognac would be delicious, too.

Nuts do well: for something rustic and Italian try ricotta and pine nuts, drizzled with runny honey. Or crushed hazelnuts, with orange juice and cinnamon sugar. You could also make a rosewater syrup by mixing rosewater and icing sugar, drizzling it over and scattering with pistachios.

Getting into world of trash now: dulce de leche and banana is unbeatable, though melted Mars bar and marshmallow comes a sticky, sickly second. Golden syrup and double cream gives a straight sugar hit, while Nutella is ever popular - add crushed hazelnuts for a bit of crunch.

Now roll around and groan and promise not to eat chocolate till Easter, not even the ears of a Lindt bunny.

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