Many of my favourite memories of Mum involve food – cooking together and then gossiping as we ate. One morning we were both home alone so we decided to cook blueberry pancakes, poured a generous amount of maple syrup over them, then got back into bed to eat and watched the classic film La Dolce Vita. This recipe is for classic American breakfast pancakes, but you can add a handful or two of blueberries to the batter. If you don’t have plain flour or baking powder – or maybe you’re in a hurry – you can use self-raising flour as a substitute.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a medium large mixing bowl or food processor. Make a well in the centre of the flour, crack the 2 eggs into it and beat well. Slowly pour in the milk, beating con – stantly (so you don’t get lumps). Keep beating until your batter is a smooth, creamy consistency – it should be light with a few air bubbles. Stir in the 2 teaspoons of oil.

When the pancake mix is ready, heat a large, non stick frying pan and coat it with a thin layer of cooking oil.

Check the pan is hot enough to cook the pancakes by dropping a tiny amount of the batter into the pan – if it sizzles, the pan’s ready.

Now pour the batter into the pan, 1 tablespoon at a time, and make pancakes about 6cm in diameter – spooning in batches of 4 if the frying pan size allows.

When you notice small bubbles appearing on the surface, use a metal or rubber spatula to slightly lift the edges of the pancakes to check that the under – side has turned golden brown. Then flip them over and cook the other side until that, too, is golden brown and cooked through.

Slide onto plates and serve hot with maple syrup poured on top.